The Curse of Aldur's Witch
by CJBH
Summary: When Arthur is left incapacitated after an encounter with magic, it is up to Merlin and Gwen to save him from despair and to find some way to restore him to a state where he can become the king he is destined to be. Set towards the end of S3.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note**_

_**This is a story written as a script about 2 years ago, set between S3 and S4 – I had a slight problem when S4 actually started, as it portrayed Uther almost completely incapacitated post 3.13 – which he's not in this story. So, I'm going to change this version slightly, putting it post 3.10 (Queen of Hearts) and pre-3.12 (The Coming of Arthur, part 1). I don't know if anyone's posted a storyline like this before – however, I will now freely admit to a small piece of plagiarism! On the BBC website, there is an area for Script writers, and on it is posted two Merlin scripts, including Howard Overman's awesome episode 4.3 – The Wicked Day. It included a scene that was never filmed, which in my opinion was a tragedy, as I thought it was one of the funniest scenes of the whole series – involving Merlin accusing Arthur of looking like a puppy dog (after seeing Gwen) and Arthur retaliating in a very un-puppy like fashion. The ear clipping incident in chapter one below is inspired by that scene!**_

Chapter One

Merlin sat staring into space, the piece of Arthur's armour that he was supposed to be polishing in one hand and the cloth with which he was meant to be accomplishing that task in the other. Both hands were motionless, as if frozen in time, as Merlin's imagination conjured up visions of dragons, of magic and of great deeds being done. But it was the deed NOT being done that put a scowl on Arthur's face as he walked into his chambers at that precise moment. He was already in none too good a mood after a training session that had been particularly trying, and the scene that greeted him did nothing to improve his general frame of mind.

"MERLIN! What are you doing? …..No, on second thoughts, don't answer that question because I can answer it perfectly well for myself…." - although he paused before doing so in order to give himself time to slam his sword and scabbard pointedly down on the table in front of his servant , as he took in the full extent of unpolished armour on the table. "…you're wasting time!"

Merlin lowered his hands – and their contents - and cocked his head to one side as he looked back at Arthur. "Ah, well that's where you're wrong, sire."

Arthur stopped moving around, deliberately folded his arms, and said, with an expression of extreme scepticism on his face: "Let's hear it then."

"What I was actually doing was pausing for a moment to think about the prince's extreme generosity towards his servant in giving him so much time off to rest and recuperate between the never-ending list of tasks that he is required to do for him (often without any thanks whatsoever) from sunrise to sunset and all the hours between them and quite often all the hours outside…."

Arthur decided, however, that he had heard enough of his servant's thinly veiled dig at him and cut in before he had a chance to complete his sentence: "You do know what they say about sarcasm, don't you, Merlin – about it being the lowest form of wit?"

Merlin looked down and threw himself into some vigorous polishing as he muttered to himself (although loud enough for Arthur to hear), "It has to be aimed low so that it won't go over a certain someone's head….. Ow!"

The clip round the ear was nothing less than Merlin would have expected under the circumstances.

"That was for that last comment….." Arthur clipped him round the ear again.

"Ow!"

"….. and that was for not getting your jobs done."

"Ow!" The third clip made Merlin look up with an expression of indignation on his face, "What was that for?!"

Arthur gave his servant a smug smile, "That was for what you said this morning after breakfast."

Merlin opened his mouth to reply but was once again taken by surprise, this time by a clip to his other ear.

"OW!"

"And before you ask, that was for what you were about to say!"

Merlin decided for the sake of his ears to keep his mouth firmly shut this time and be content with thinking dark thoughts instead.

Arthur busied himself around the room as he continued speaking, "And now, Merlin, I need you to get my horse ready immediately."

"Where are we going?"

" _I_ am going to arrest a women in one of the villages who has been accused of being a witch. _You_ are going to be staying here polishing my armour, which clearly you've barely started on!"

Merlin's annoyance with Arthur was quickly put to one side, as fears for his friend's safety surfaced in the young warlock's mind. "I should be going with you."

Arthur replied in a firm tone that made it clear that he wasn't going to change his decision: "Merlin, I need you to get my armour ready for the knighting ceremony tonight, and if you had done your jobs quicker, instead of spending your time day-dreaming, you would be coming with me on my nice little trip to the country …." Arthur paused and gestured with his hand towards the dull pieces of metal that were strewn around the table. "… but you haven't… and so you won't!"

Merlin wasn't ready to give up, however, and countered: "I can do it later! What if this woman uses magic against you?"

"_Later_ I might have something else for you to do! And besides, how is having you there exactly going to help if she is a witch and does use magic?"

Merlin opened his mouth to speak, but in the absence of anything he could sensibly or safely say, he shut it again.

Arthur made eye contact with his servant for a few seconds: "Precisely!"

"Arthur, you need to be careful."

The serious tone in Merlin's voice only had the effect of exasperating the prince further however.

"Merlin – I appreciate your kind concern for my well-being but I do not appreciate your annoying inability to accept that the heir to the throne of Camelot can carry out a simple task for himself! In fact, it is extremely IRRITATING! I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself without you."

Merlin snorting loudly did nothing to help Arthur's mood.

"And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?"

Despite the recent ear-clipping bout, Merlin's voice was again heavy with sarcasm as he spoke, "Oh yes, you can take care of yourself perfectly well! After all, you have spent all of your life doing your own cooking, dressing yourself, sorting out your armour, clearing up the mess you make, cleaning your boots…."

Merlin stopped abruptly when he found Arthur's face perilously close to his own. "Merlin – what have I told you about trying to be clever?"

"That… it's another of my endearing qualities that you greatly appreciate?"

"I believe my exact words were: _such cleverness will be appreciated even more by my horses as you're mucking them out_. And speaking of horses, get your bony little arse off that seat and come and do what you've just been asked to do."

And with that, Arthur marched out of the door with Merlin following him, neither of them in anything approaching a pleasant mood.

_~~~ o ~~~_

The village of Aldur was not a large one. Like many of the places where the peasant farmers in the kingdom lived, it consisted of not much more than a dozen houses, with a few other small sheds dotted between them, and a communal barn standing on the edge of the small settlement. Chickens scurried across the dirt that separated the small, thatched dwellings and a few children played simple games as the adults in the village busied themselves with the tasks that helped them eke out a fairly meagre living. As was the case with other villages, there was also an old pump that supplied the villagers with vital water standing in the centre - and that was where Arthur and the half a dozen knights that accompanied him found the old and haggard woman that they were searching for. As they approached her from behind, she paused for a moment, with one hand on the pump and the other holding a bucket which was already half-full with water. She sensed they were there before she heard them, and slowly put the bucket down, turning to face them as they drew near.

Arthur stopped not more than four paces from her, unrolled the scroll of parchment that he was carrying, and prepared himself to read out the charges that had been brought against her. The other villagers who were nearby had already stopped what they were doing, and an uneasy silence fell as they waited for the prince to speak.

"Ysabel of Aldur, according to the laws of Camelot you are now under arrest on suspicion of performing acts of witchcraft, with the aid of spells, charms and incantations. You will be escorted immediately to Camelot where you will stand trial for these crimes and, if found guilty, will face the just penalties accorded by the law of the land and its sovereign, Uther Pendragon."

When the witch responded, her voice was full of contempt: "And that coward Uther sends his son to do his dirty and hateful work that stains this land with so much blood!"

Arthur lifted his gaze from the words on the parchment, and fixed her with a stern expression: "You will not speak of my father in that way….."

"Your father deserves every bit of the contempt I have for him!" Her words were spat out with anger and feeling. "And you, young prince - you blindly carry out his twisted orders knowing full well the fate that awaits those whom you arrest!"

Arthur replied with a low voice that didn't seek to disguise the threat in it: "You will hold your tongue, woman…."

But his words did nothing to dissuade the witch from speaking further, and she shook her head as she did so: "You are blind, so blind."

Arthur rolled up the scroll. "You will come with me"

"You are wrong, Arthur Pendragon. My fate is already sealed, and so is yours. Know this - my face will be the last face that you will ever see!"

Arthur moved to step forward to take hold of her, but before he had even taken his first pace, her arm was raised towards him and she began to utter her words of magic. Leon already had his crossbow ready, but before the arrow that would kill her had even left his bow, her incantation was complete, and Arthur was thrown backwards to the ground and lay there motionless.

~~~ o ~~~

When Arthur finally came around, he found himself lying on his back, but his head hurt so badly that he didn't even want to move or to open his eyes at first. He was vaguely aware of voices that sounded muffled and distant to begin with, and for several moments he couldn't quite think where he was or what had happened. He groaned slightly, and began to raise himself up onto his left elbow, but found himself in a darkness that was so intense that he couldn't see a single thing, no matter how hard he strained his eyes. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice that sounded close by: "Arthur!" and he could hear the relief in Leon's voice. But he also heard the concern as the knight then added, "Are you alright?"

Arthur raised his right hand to his head, as if to try to alleviate the intense pain he was feeling there, "I've felt better." He peered into the darkness: "Where are you, Leon?"

"Right here, my lord." Arthur felt the knight's hand on his shoulder, but the tone of slight confusion in Leon's voice suddenly struck a cold fear into Arthur's heart. He paused for a moment, and then with a growing panic slowly asked the question the answer to which he was dreading: "Why is it pitch black?"

There was another pause, and then Arthur heard Leon's voice answering, "It isn't, my lord. It's broad daylight."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The ride back to Camelot felt like a nightmare to Arthur. The outward journey which had taken barely half an hour at a good canter, took well over twice that on the way back, as the knights slowed their pace to take account of the fact that Arthur's ability to control and direct his horse was severely limited. They had bound a make-shift bandage around his eyes for the journey back, although in truth it was more to indicate his injury to others than to accomplish any good as far as his blindness was concerned. After the prince had regained consciousness, it had taken no time for them to realise that there was something seriously wrong with his eyes – the normal bright blue of his eyes had been replaced by a milky colour, giving them a slightly unnerving appearance (another reason for the bandage) and even when Leon had directed him to look towards the sun, Arthur's world remained one of total and utter darkness. The witch could give them no answers – Leon's crossbow bolt had found its target with lethal accuracy, and she was dead before her body even hit the dirt ground beside the well.

Arthur tried to control the awful fear in his heart, and kept trying to tell himself that Gaius would know how to treat the blindness and that all would be well, despite the last words of the witch echoing again and again in his mind: _my face will be the last face that you will ever see. _And on top of the dread, there was also the feeling of humiliation – of having to be led like a helpless child to his horse and then helped up on to it, and although he held the reins in his hand, he knew by the whispered conversations of his knights, that his mount had been tethered to Leon's. And things were no better when the horses were slowed to a walk as they reached Camelot and entered the lower town. He could hear the voices of the people suddenly break off from their chatter and begin to speak in hushed tones, and he knew it was because they had caught sight of him. The clatter of the horses hooves on the cobble-stones in the main square within the citadel drowned out the whispering of the soldiers and town-folk who were there, but when the horses came to a halt in front of the main steps, it felt to Arthur as if a deathly hush had fallen on the square, and although he couldn't tell how many people were there, he imagined every single one of them staring at their prince as he had to be helped down from his horse and then led up the steps, flanked by a knight on either side – and he longed to be out of the view of all those who, unlike him, could see exactly what was going on.

~~~ o ~~~

Merlin was still polishing armour when the doors of Arthur's chambers were flung open by Sir Leon. His only words were, "Merlin – come quickly! It's Arthur." But those five words were enough to cause Merlin's heart to begin to pound within his chest and to give him an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach. Arthur had been taken straight to Gaius's rooms, and as Leon and Merlin hurried straight there, the knight described briefly everything that had happened.

Gaius looked up as the two of them burst in. He had already removed the bandage from around Arthur's eyes and was peering intently into them as the others arrived. The look of gravity on the older man's face spoke volumes to them, but before either of them could say anything, they found themselves having to step to one side and bow their heads as Uther rushed into the room.

"Arthur!"

Arthur turned his head towards the direction of the king's voice – and it was then that Merlin saw Arthur's eyes and his stomach suddenly knotted itself horribly. The vacant appearance of his milky eyes said everything that needed to be said – and Merlin was only grateful that Arthur couldn't see the way in which his father recoiled at the sight of them. But Arthur could hear the king's intake of breathe, and he turned back towards Gaius with his head hung lower, as if he was suddenly ashamed of what he had become – and he said nothing.

For all his faults, Uther still loved his son deeply, and the way that Arthur's shoulders were hunched was not entirely lost on him – and he laid a hand on one of them and squeezed it gently. He turned towards the physician: "Gaius?"

"It seems, your majesty, as if Arthur's sight has been damaged by the use of sorcery." He deliberately avoided the use of term _blinded_.

"But it can be restored, surely?"

Arthur stiffened – he felt as if his whole future depended on the next few words that would be spoken by Gaius, and as the elderly physician paused before answering, Arthur's chest felt so tight that he could barely breathe.

"I think it is too early to say, sire. I think it would be best if I applied some ointment to his eyes, and we leave it overnight to take effect. I will then examine them again tomorrow."

But everyone in the room – apart from Arthur – could see that the look on the physician's face said something very different.

It was Arthur who broke the uneasy silence as Gaius went to find the necessary medication. "Is Leon here?" but his words were spoken in a voice that was dull and devoid of all emotion.

"I'm here, my lord."

"I was meant to be briefing the new knights on the ceremony tonight…"

Leon looked up at the others in the room, all of whom had the same doubts in their minds as to whether the ceremony would continue under the circumstances, and Leon looked silently and questioningly at Uther, waiting for the king to provide the answer.

"Arthur, it might be better if we leave the…" but Arthur cut in on his father.

"No, they have worked hard for this honour and it should not be denied them," but again Arthur's words were spoken in a flat voice that was almost mechanical.

Uther nodded to Leon as he answered his son, "Very well."

Leon directed his words towards Arthur: "I'll make sure each of them is briefed properly, sire."

"Thank you, Leon." And with that, the knight left.

It only took a matter of a few minutes for Gaius to complete the task of applying the ointment to Arthur's eyes and then re-bandaging them. During this time, the prince answered, as best he could, his father's questions about what had happened. Gaius interrupted when Arthur spoke of the witch's spell, to ask if he remembered the words that were said. Merlin listened intently, knowing exactly why Gaius had asked the question. It was likely that the only chance – if such a chance existed - of being able to reverse the effects of the magic would be if they knew the exact spell that had been used.

But all that Arthur could say was, "It all happened so quickly – just a few words in what sounded like a foreign language, and that was the last thing I remember. And then when I came to…. everything was dark."

Gaius finished tying the bandage off at the back of Arthur's head. "Merlin – take Arthur to his chambers and make sure all his needs are met."

"The knighting ceremony tonight….. " Arthur began.

"You cannot possibly be there, Arthur."

His father's reply somehow seemed to underline for Arthur the helpless state that he was in and he knew he faced the possible shattering of all his dreams for the future and he swallowed hard.

"We'll see how things are in the morning." The word _see_ was out of Uther's mouth before he realised what he was saying. He gave Arthur's shoulder another gentle squeeze and then nodded to Merlin to take his son away.

As Merlin guided Arthur carefully out of the room, Uther walked over to the door, slowly and purposefully closed it behind them, and then walked back to the physician.

"I would like the truth, Gaius – what hope is there that Arthur will see again?"

"As I said, your majesty, it is too early for….." but the king cut in on him before he could go any further.

"I have known you for too long Gaius, not to know when you are avoiding being totally honest with me. The truth, please…"

Gaius took off his eye-glasses, and began cleaning them on his tunic, sighing as he did so. "I believe, your majesty, that the blindness cannot be cured by any of my medicine or skills. It has been caused by a curse uttered by a witch who is now dead. I believe that she would have been the only one capable of lifting the curse. Neither time nor medicine will make any difference. I'm afraid, my lord, that Arthur will always be blind."

Uther looked down at the floor for a few moments, before raising his head again and nodding. "It will be better for Arthur not to have false hope. I will break the news to him myself tomorrow morning when you remove the bandages from his eyes."

~~~ o ~~~

For Merlin and Arthur, the walk back to his chambers was an almost entirely silent one: Arthur, on the one hand, didn't want to talk, and Merlin, on the other, didn't know what to say. Almost the only words that Arthur uttered the entire time were spoken quietly to Merlin as soon as they had left Gaius and Uther: "Take me through the south wing and along the back corridor." And Merlin knew exactly what lay behind his instruction: he wanted to avoid meeting others and being seen having to be led by the arm by his servant.

There were at least three sets of steps along the way to be negotiated, and Merlin slowly and patiently counted the steps for Arthur as his feet found each one in turn. Although their route was along largely empty corridors, they couldn't avoid others entirely, and every time Arthur heard a set of footsteps approaching, he felt his face flush as he imagined each unknown passer-by looking on his pathetic state and pitying him. It was doubly worse, not knowing whether the footsteps were one of his knights or one of the palace servants. It only took two or three to pass them by before Merlin, in his wisdom, realised that there was at least something else that he could do to help Arthur, and he began to whisper to him the names of those who were approaching. Somehow, at least being able to visualise them in his mind's eye, felt Arthur feel slightly less helpless – and he was grateful to Merlin, even if (as usual) he didn't say so.

Thankfully, due to Merlin's extreme care, his usual clumsiness was not in evidence as he steered Arthur back to his room, and any mishaps were merciful avoided. Merlin's heart, however, ached for Arthur every step of the way. To see the head that was normally held high now hanging so low, and the stride that was normally so confident reduced to hesitantly putting one foot in front of the other was almost heart-breaking, especially as Merlin guessed for himself the truth that Gaius had reluctantly told the king. Once Arthur was safely back in his room, Merlin took the lead, suggesting that they removed his chain-mail first. Thankfully, the routine was so familiar to them both that they could – both figuratively and literally – do it with their eyes closed. But when Merlin suggested some food, Arthur's only reply was "I'm not hungry." Merlin was about to gently encourage him to eat when the door swung open, however – and in walked Morgana.

Merlin drew himself upright and tensed. For a moment their eyes met – and there was a hostility that for once didn't need to be hidden from Arthur. Merlin knew her secrets and she knew that Merlin couldn't divulge them without being hung or beheaded at her behest. In the months since her return he had seen her try firstly to stab Uther and then kill Arthur, by luring him into Cenred's clutches through Gwen and Elyan, and then by giving him the eye of the phoenix as he ventured into the realm of the Fisher King. And most recently, he had seen her content to see Gwen burned at the stake rather than be a competitor for queen. Merlin glared at her, whilst she for her part gave him a twisted smile before putting on a voice of deep concern for Arthur's ears: "Arthur! I came as soon as I heard!"

For Morgana, of course, the news of what had happened to Arthur had been anything but bad. That another witch had incapacitated her brother was a completely unexpected – and utterly welcome – turn of events, which she viewed as good fortune in the extreme: he would now be so much easier to dispose of.

Merlin's gaze only hardened further as he watched her play her part so well, and when Arthur barely raised his head at the sound of her voice, she continued: "Merlin, could you give us some time on our own, please?" giving him another twisted smile as she did so. Merlin hesitated for a moment, which turned Morgana's expression into a glare of hatred and she jerked her head across to the door, saying as she did in a tone of false kindness, "Thank you, Merlin – I'll come and get to you when we're finished".

And Merlin with an equally false tone, replied: "Don't worry, I'll be just outside in case Arthur needs me" – and both of them had the same understanding of the implication in his words. And as he passed her on the way out, Merlin hissed so that only she could hear, "If you hurt him in any way, I'll kill you!" And Morgana just smiled again.

She continued to play her part well with Arthur, one moment gently stroking his head as she expressed her sadness at what had happened, and in the next idly fingering the dagger that lay on the table near him. _It would be so easy. _She imagined herself picking up the dagger, and driving it then and there deep into his heart. _He was completely at her mercy. _She paused for a moment to relish the image of Arthur lying slumped – dead – across the table, blood seeping out onto the wood from the wound in his chest. _But no, she would have to plan it so that it couldn't be linked to her, but she would help her assassins accomplish their task – he would be like a lamb to the slaughter; a pathetic, pitifully easy target for the swords of some hired accomplices. _And so instead of stabbing him in the heart she rested her hand upon his shoulder:"I'm sure Gaius will do everything he can to help you." And whilst her soothing tone was as smooth as silk, inwardly she rejoiced at a curse the results of which were far beyond the help of a physician.

"He's all yours," was all she said to Merlin as she finally left Arthur's chambers. Merlin had taken his ear away from the door as soon as he heard her approaching, and he stood back against the wall waiting for her to emerge. He eyed her coldly and silently as she swept past him and up the corridor, leaving Merlin to tend to his injured prince. But Morgana knew that even though she couldn't drive a dagger into it just then, she could still bring pain to Arthur's heart. And she ensured that just when he needed her most, Gwen was kept busy. She gave her task after task that prevented her from running to Arthur – which, of course, had been exactly what she had wanted to do the moment that she heard the news. And Morgana smiled to herself once again: _Let him wonder why his precious beloved doesn't come to him when he needs her!_

~~~ o ~~~

Despite Merlin's best efforts, he couldn't get Arthur to eat, and despite his protestations, Arthur still sent him away, telling him to come back at bedtime. Not that Merlin actually went anywhere, however. He spent the evening hours sitting – with an empty stomach – outside Arthur's room, listening out for any sounds or cries for help, but he heard none. And when it was eventually time for bed, he finally knocked lightly on the door, and then went in, despite not having received an answer. He found Arthur sitting in exactly the same place and position as he'd left him, and without being asked, he poured a goblet of water out from the jug on the table at the side of the room, and brought it over to him. He gently lifted Arthur's hand from the table and put the goblet into it. "Here, sire – you need to drink." Arthur, in his world of complete darkness, silently lifted it to his lips and drank it all, and then without saying a word, set it back down on the table, before finally pushing the chair back and rising to his feet. "I'll go to bed now," was all that he said.

Merlin guided him by the arm over to the bed, and once again they fell into their familiar routine, which began – as ever – with Arthur sitting on the edge of the bed and Merlin removing his boots for him. When he brought Arthur his night-shirt, Merlin cursed his own ineptitude for having handed it to Arthur without sufficient care so that prince ended up putting it on back to front.

"I'm sorry, my lord – my fault completely," was all he could mutter, as he helped Arthur lift the shirt up and turn it round. When Arthur was finally in bed, Merlin stood for a few moments looking at his friend – he longed to offer him comfort, but knew that there was none that he could give; he would have expressed his sorrow, but that would have been premature. In the end he simply said, "I can stay outside your door tonight, in case there's anything you need." But Arthur just replied in a dull tone, "That won't be necessary."

So Merlin bid him good-night, and on the way out, he went over to the curtains and pulled them to. Arthur heard the familiar grating of the curtain rings on the poles, and the last thing Merlin heard before he left the room was Arthur saying to him in the same dull tone, "You needn't have bothered with that."

_**Author's Note**_

_**Just a warning - I might do something annoying and start posting next the story that I want, at the moment, to write even more , but then again I might not. Hopefully more of something on Friday either way. Reviews always welcome - particularly if they're nice ones! :-)**_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Merlin made sure that he was up even earlier than usual – he didn't want to risk Arthur waking before he was there and trying to accomplish anything on his own, with all the potential disaster that would accompany that. Not that Merlin had slept much – he had lain there for long hours turning over and over in his mind the conversation that he and Gaius had had, with Gaius telling him what he already suspected – that magic, not medicine, would be the only thing that could make a difference to Arthur's sight, but that without knowing the magic that was used, their task of finding something to reverse the witch's curse would be all but impossible. And laying there in the darkness, Merlin feared for the future and what it would all mean.

But Merlin wasn't the only one who had had little sleep. Arthur had tossed on his bed during the hours of darkness, battling his fears and hanging on to the shred of hope that he had taken from Gaius' words the day before. He wasn't ready yet to surrender to despair, and all he wanted to focus on was the moment when Gaius would remove the bandages from his eyes.

When Merlin arrived at Arthur's chambers, he did what he always did at the start of each day – he opened the door quietly (Arthur's loud remonstrations in the early days at him noisily barging in whilst he was still asleep soon put a stop to his more dramatic entrances), and went over to the window as usual and drew back the curtains: "It's morning, my lord." One look at the chaos which was Arthur's bedding told him that the prince had not had a night of uninterrupted sleep either.

"When will Gaius come?" Arthur lay on his back, obviously wide awake, and waited for Merlin's answer.

"We'll get you up and dressed, and then Gaius will come after breakfast."

Arthur had little choice but to do as Merlin said, and thankfully, when it came to washing and dressing, the usual routine once again stood them in good stead, and both tasks could be done without too much difficulty, and given that Arthur often automatically just put on whatever Merlin handed him to wear, the challenges that came from his blindness were not too great. It was a different matter, however, when it came to breakfast. Although Merlin had told him exactly where he'd put his goblet of water, it didn't stop Arthur knocking it over when he reached out his hand for it, and Arthur's short temper ensured that Merlin was left in no doubt as to whose fault the mishap was.

"It wasn't where you said it was!"

And Merlin knew that his anger was only the fear and frustration spilling out, and as ever, Merlin bore the brunt of it for Arthur's sake.

"I'm sorry, sire. If you say when you want a drink, I will put the cup in your hands."

His efforts to be helpful only seemed to underline for Arthur his own helplessness, and he snapped back, "I think I can manage to find the cup for myself."

Merlin bit his lip and mumbled another apology. He had wisely brought food for breakfast that only required Arthur to use his fingers, but even so, the act of having to place his hand down on the plate to feel for his food felt demeaning to Arthur, and when – in his growing frustration – he knocked the cup over for the second time, he abruptly pushed his chair away slightly from the table and said tersely, "I've had enough – fetch Gaius."

Merlin could only look on in deep sadness. His heart went out to his friend, seeing him hurting the way he was, but he knew that there was worse soon to come and his heart sank still further.

~~~ o ~~~

"Good morning, Arthur."

The sound of his father's voice took Arthur by surprise. He hadn't necessarily expected him to be there, and there was something about the tone of his voice that made Arthur's throat suddenly feel very tight, as he rose to his feet and returned the greeting. He turned towards the sound of the three sets of footsteps but the grave looks on all three faces were hidden to him. Also hidden to him was the fact that Uther was carrying in his hands a long strip of black material, the significance of which was not lost on Merlin. It was the custom in the kingdom and surrounding lands at that time for those who were blind to wear a black band of cloth wrapped around their eyes. It signified their affliction to others, so that allowance could be made for them as they navigated their way, often with the use of a stick, and so that those around them could be ready to offer direction or aid where needed. And Uther carrying the black band meant only one thing: that he had already accepted the truth that Arthur was shortly to be told – that he would never see again.

Merlin stepped to one side, and stood with one of his hands nervously up at his mouth, subconsciously chewing on his fingernails Arthur, for his part, stood with his heart pounding once again – knowing that his future hung in the balance, and that he was about to find out which way the scales would tilt. As Gaius slowly unwound the bandages, a panic began to rise in Arthur's heart. Even with his eyes closed, he knew that some sensation of light should be beginning to seep into his vision, standing as he was in a room bathed in the brightness of a morning the warmth of which he could feel. But everything remained stubbornly dark, and when Gaius told him to open his eyes, the action only confirmed what his heart already knew – that he was still in a world that was completely pitch black. He swallowed hard, and said in an uneven voice, "I still see nothing." And in desperation he turned his face towards where he knew the physician was standing, and the other three could hear the distress in his voice as he asked his one word question: "Gaius?"

But it was not Gaius who answered him, and the answer to Arthur's real, unspoken question was provided by his father. But before Uther spoke, he laid a hand once again on Arthur's shoulder, and at that moment, Arthur knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was about to be told the worst – even if he wasn't ready to accept it.

"Arthur, I know that this is going to be hard for you to bear….," but before he could continue his son cut in on his softly spoken words.

"No! Don't say it! There must be something else that can be done! Surely, Gaius, you must know some cure, or some other medicine that will help. With all your knowledge, there must be something that will help, surely? Gaius!"

"My lord, the blindness is beyond any medicine – it is caused by magic."

"THEN WHY DID YOU GIVE ME EVEN THE SHRED OF HOPE THAT YOU DID?" Arthur's words were shouted more in misery than anger, and the others could see that even without expression in his eyes, there was still anguish written all over his face.

His father tried again. "Arthur – there is nothing that can be done."

For all of Uther's hardness, Merlin could see that the king was struggling both to accept the truth himself and to know how to help his son come to terms with it. He rubbed Arthur's shoulder and, in a rare display of feeling, kissed the top of the head that was now hung low, whispering "I'm sorry" as he did so, whilst Arthur quietly said over and over again, "It can't be."

Arthur finally fell silent, and nobody spoke for several moments. He then asked in a choked voice, "Did you bring a black band?"

Unseen to Arthur, his father could only nod. So Gaius, ever the caring physician, stepped in, taking the black strip of material from the king's hand. "We have one here, sire," but before he could speak further, Arthur said in the same voice choked voice as before, "Just do it."

Merlin stood to one side, aching for his friend and aching to help, but knowing that whilst the king was there, his place was to stand at a respectful distance and stay silent – so all he could do was watch. As Gaius wound the black band around his head and over his eyes, it felt to Arthur like the blindfold of a condemned man, although in his case he wasn't facing the death penalty but a life sentence – doomed to live out his days in darkness and the helplessness of which the band was a sign. And even as Gaius was tying the knot at the back of Arthur's head, the prince spoke again. "I want to be on my own. Could you all please leave me?"

The king laid his hand on his son's shoulder a last time: "Very well, Arthur," and with that he turned slowly and left, accompanied by Gaius.

Merlin finally stepped forward, and began to try to find the right words, "Arthur…." But before he was given the opportunity to speak further, he was given his orders: "Merlin – I don't want to be disturbed. Make sure no-one – _no-one_ – is let in."

All that Merlin could do was to say softly, "I'll be just outside if you need me. Do you need anything before I go, sire?"

Arthur just shook his head, and with that he turned away from Merlin, put his hand out and began to feel for the chair that he had been sitting on when the others had entered the room. Merlin, for his part, sighed deeply, finally picked up the tray of half eaten food from breakfast, turned away sadly and slowly, and went once more to take up his place outside Arthur's door – shut out of his room and shut out of his anguish.

~~~ o ~~~

The first hour or so outside the door passed slowly and silently. Merlin occupied himself with consuming the left-overs from breakfast, as he'd skipped his own earlier in order to be there for Arthur. In a rare, lighter moment he reflected on the fact that the remnants of Arthur's meal were more than he normally managed for himself every morning in the rush to be ready to raise, feed and clothe the prince. As Merlin devoured the half eaten sausage and the untouched chunk of fresh bread, he all the while listened intently for any sounds on the other side of the door – but there were none. A short while after Merlin had finished picking every single little morsel off the chicken bone, he heard light footsteps running down the corridor, and Gwen came running around the corner, breathless.

"Oh Merlin! I heard what happened yesterday, and I wanted to come straight away, but I couldn't get away from Morgana…."

Merlin gave a cynical little smile. "Why does that not surprise me?" Both of them remembered all too well the part that they suspected she had played in Gwen almost being burnt at the stake.

"Is he in there now?" Gwen asked quietly, going to the door and putting her hand on the handle, as if to open it.

Merlin quickly stepped forward and gently laid his hand over hers, and drew alongside her, whispering, "Yes, but he wants to be left alone," and when Gwen looked at him questioningly, he added simply, "he was told this morning that he would never see again."

Gwen gasped and put a hand to her mouth, and whispered "No!" almost inaudibly. She pressed her lips tightly together, and Merlin could see that her eyes were beginning to well up. She looked towards the door again and Merlin knew that she had the same desire as he had – to be with their friend, and to help and comfort him in his hour of greatest need. And he was right. At that moment, all that Gwen wanted to do was run past the door and wrap Arthur in her arms and hold him tight. She wanted to share his sorrow and, by any means, somehow bear his grief for him and bring him comfort. But although her heart ached for him and she was tempted to go in to him anyway, she knew better than to go against his wishes. Merlin caught the look of pain in her eyes, and whispered "He'll need you Gwen – later - when he's had time to take it in. He'll want to see you, I'm sure…" Merlin bit his lip. The familiar words were spoken out of force of habit. He sighed and shook his head, and contented himself with just saying instead, "I'll come and find you when he's ready." Gwen closed her eyes, held one of her arms tight against her chest, and just nodded. And as she turned to go back down the corridor, she added, "Let him know I came."

Another hour of silence passed behind the closed doors – and then all hell broke loose. Merlin heard a sudden, anguished cry, and then the sound of crashing, and what he took to be the sound of various objects hitting the stone walls with not insignificant force. The sound of metal rebounding off stone came again and again, and if it were not for the fact that much of what was in the prince's room was made of silver rather than pottery, Merlin was sure he would have heard the sound of smashing. He did hear, however, the odd crack of what he assumed was a pane of glass in the leaded windows being stuck by some object being hurled across the room by Arthur. There was also the occasional sound of a chair being knocked over and angry yelps, which Merlin took to be the result of Arthur crashing into some unseen obstacle. And as he stood wondering whether he should intervene or not, an unwelcome visitor once again turned the corner into the corridor and approached both the door and Merlin guarding it.

Morgana seemed to take a perverse delight in the sounds of anger and anguish coming from beyond the door.

"Oh dear. It sounds like Arthur has taken the news that he is always going to be blind rather badly."

Merlin glared at her with anger, and it was all he could do to stop himself lashing out at her or – worse – propelling her backwards against the nearest wall with one flash of his eyes.

But his glare only seemed to encourage her into further mocking. "What a shame that he will never be able to rule this kingdom like a proper king. I wonder how it will feel to him to know that all those years he spent in training as a knight - learning how to fight with his feeble sword – have been totally wasted! That's going to be hard on the poor boy. I will go and offer him my words of comfort."

But Merlin stepped in to block her way. "He doesn't want to see anyone."

He immediately regretted his phrasing of the sentence. Morgana's lips curled up into a mocking smile. "Well that's good, because he's not going to!"

She again moved to attempt to get around Merlin, but he simply rephrased the order he had been given: "No-one is to go in."

"I'm sure that that doesn't include me….."

"And I'm sure it does!"

"You would defy me?" Her eyes flashed - not with gold but with anger.

"I would obey my master – and he told me _no-one_ – and that includes you, Morgana."

There was something about the way that Merlin spoke that made her realise that he was not going to give way.

She held his gaze for several seconds, and then gave a twisted smile as she broke eye contact – and at that precise moment they both heard another loud crash from within. "Very well, then. I'll leave him to his misery." And with that, she turned and strode off as abruptly as she'd arrived.

Gradually Arthur's onslaught on his chambers subsided and was replaced by more silence. The sun continued on its path across the sky and passed its zenith. Merlin began to be worried, and wondered once again if he should go in, but just as he'd decided he would give it another quarter of an hour, he began to hear movement beyond the door. And then he heard his name being called.

When Merlin opened the door and entered, a scene of utter chaos and devastation greeted him. But Arthur was standing not far from the door, facing him.

"I want you to take me to my father. I want to speak to him alone."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Merlin was glad that, once again, Arthur couldn't see the reactions from the knights, nobles and servants that they passed on the way to find Uther. Up until the point they left Arthur's rooms, only half a dozen of them had known about the permanency of the blindness, but the black band he now wore spoke volumes to each person who saw it, and Merlin was sure that the shocked looks on the faces of those they passed would soon be turned into the gossip of servants, the talk amongst the courtiers and the whispered conversations of Arthur's knights. Once again, Merlin guided the prince carefully along the corridors and, once again, Arthur hated having to hang on to his servant as they took each step. A quick word with one of the palace staff told them that they would find Uther in the dining hall, taking a late lunch there by himself.

Arthur remained silent as they walked along close together, his only words being in response to Merlin's news that Gwen had been to see him, and even then all he said was "That was kind of her," before lapsing once again into a deep silence. Merlin could tell by Arthur's furrowed brow, which wasn't entirely obscured by the black band, that he was going over something in his mind, and as the only other words that Merlin spoke were to give Arthur the directions and warnings that he needed, the silence also gave Merlin plenty of opportunity for thinking too. He turned over and over in his mind the possible reasons that Arthur might have for wanting to speak so urgently to his father – alone. And in the end, he could think of only one possible – though unlikely – reason, and it made his heart beat rapidly. And as it turned out, he was not wrong.

When the doors into the dining hall were opened for them by the guards, they found, as expected, Uther eating by himself at the end of the long table, with servants standing near, ready to refill his cup or his plate if he so indicated. Uther looked up as Merlin and his son entered together and approached the table, stopping a few feet from him. He put the food that was in his hands back down on his plate.

"Arthur?"

"Father, I would like to request the opportunity to speak with you – in private."

"Certainly. Will you sit with me?"

"I would prefer to stand."

And with that, Uther gave a quick jerk of his head to all assembled in the room, including Merlin, which everyone knew was their cue to take themselves rapidly to the other side of the door and make themselves scarce, with the door being closed behind them all. Fortunately for Merlin, he was well-known – and liked – by the guards on the door, and so when Merlin caught their eyes, raised his eyebrows to them, before flattening his right ear firmly against the crack between the two doors, they chose to turned a blind eye.

When the room was clear and the door firmly shut, Uther sat back in his seat: "Speak, Arthur – what's on your mind?"

Although Arthur had held himself tall and straight in the presence of the others, his father's permission for him to speak opened the floodgates of his desperation, and when he spoke, there was pleading in both his tone and his posture.

"Father – please do not refuse what I am going to ask of you! You cannot leave me without hope of ever seeing again. Surely, if it was magic that blinded me, then magic could be used to enable me to see again!"

"Arthur - you have no idea what you are asking! I cannot and will not allow it."

"But why can we not fight magic with magic?"

Uther's tone was low and insistent: "Arthur – I understand that you are desperate and, believe me, I would do anything that is within my power to help you, but using magic is out of the question!"

"I know the law forbids it, but surely that is only to prevent it being used against Camelot and its people. If it has been used to hurt then surely it must also be capable of healing and of being used for good!"

Uther was on his feet by now. "This conversation is over, Arthur!"

But Arthur would not let go of the one thing that offered him a glimmer of hope in his darkness, and his tone change from one of pleading to one of insistence. "But why? Why can't magic be used for good? Give me a reason!"

A tone of annoyance began to creep into the king's voice. "Have you forgotten, Arthur, that the laws of this land not only forbid magic but also decree that its use carries the death penalty? You are not above that law, even as prince of this land!"

Arthur was once again desperate as he continued to try to reason with the king: "But you made the laws – can you not change them for the good of your own son? If magic is being used for good then surely it can't be wrong?"

Uther started to pace around in agitation, his patience beginning to wear thin. "Magic corrupts everything, even good. I will NOT allow the law to be broken and magic to be given a foothold in this kingdom."

For once, Arthur's integrity began to crumble in his despair. "No one need know! We could say that Gaius was mistaken and that he found a cure."

For a split second, Uther remembered with a slight sense of guilt the permission he had effectively given for magic to be used when Morgana had lain dying following her fall. _But this was different – this didn't involve a life at risk. And he was the king who made the rules. And besides… _Another memory entered his head.

"ARTHUR! This conversation is over!"

But Arthur wasn't ready to let go of his only hope and so he continue to push the king .

"But father…"

His words didn't get any further before Uther cut in, with anger spilling out as he did so: "You have no idea what the use of such magic might cost you - you know nothing of what magic can do! You haven't seen its effects as I have…"

"YES, I HAVE, I'M BLIND! But just because it's powerful doesn't mean it can't be used for good in the right hands! What about Gaius – he used to practice magic – he could do something, surely? He wouldn't misuse it!"

Uther spoke in a low and dangerous voice, barely containing his ire as he stood facing his son once more. "Magic corrupts everything, even good. I know that and Gaius knows that – that is why he renounced it."

"But why should that be - how can you possibly know that that is always the case?"

Even though Arthur couldn't see him, Uther still glared at him, and only managed to control his anger by once again speaking slowly and deliberately: "Arthur, if you continue to push me I swear you will find yourself thrown into the cells!"

"Then I have nothing to lose, because I am already in a prison!"

Although he didn't realise it, Arthur in his desperation was touching his father at his most vulnerable and dangerous spot.

"HOW CAN YOU KNOW THAT MAGIC CANNOT BE USED FOR GOOD?" Arthur hurled the words out into the blackness for one last time, and they finally provoked Uther into shouting back words for which he would later feel a deep and terrible remorse.

"BECAUSE MAGIC WAS USED TO CONCEIVE YOU BUT THEN IT TOOK YOUR MOTHER'S LIFE IN PAYMENT! CAN YOU CALL THAT GOOD?"

And with that, Uther stormed out of the room, leaving his son in shock and in despair, and with the knowledge that his father had bitterly regretted using the magic without which he would not have been born.

Merlin barely had time to step away from the doors before they were pulled open by the angry king as he swept out of the room and down the corridor. Merlin knew that there could not possibly have been a worse time – or a worse way – for Arthur to find out the truth that his father had previously denied. The sound of slow, hesitant footsteps was enough to tell Arthur that his servant was once again by his side. He didn't respond at all when Merlin laid a hand lightly on his arm, beyond saying in a quiet, choked voice, "Take me back to my room."

~~~ o ~~~

As soon as they were in an empty corridor, Merlin said quietly, "Arthur – there is nothing or no-one in this kingdom that your father cares about more than you."

"You heard everything, then?" Arthur replied in a flat voice.

"Mmm."

They walked in silence for a while.

"Shall I find Gwen? I know she wants to be with you."

"There's nothing to say." Arthur's voice was once again devoid of any feeling. The truth was that he was in deep shock and finding it difficult to take in everything that had happened and everything that had been said.

"Well, what if she brings you something to eat?" Arthur appeared not to hear Merlin's suggestion, so he tried again. "Shall I get Gwen to bring you some food?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Arthur – you've barely eat anything since breakfast yesterday – you need to eat!"

They rounded a corner into yet another empty corridor, and the only sound was their footsteps echoing off the stone walls. Eventually Arthur spoke again: "What time is it?"

The day had passed like a blur and without the position of the sun in the sky, he had no idea how far spent the day was.

"Merlin gave a quick glance out of one of the windows. "Late afternoon…" Arthur lapsed into silence once more, so Merlin decided to make some decisions for him.

"I'll send Gwen along with some supper for you in about an hour or two," and when the prince didn't respond, Merlin was pleased that at least he hadn't refused.

The devastation was, of course, still there when they arrived back at Arthur's chambers. Merlin gently guided him into one of the more comfortable chairs which was near the window, the broken pains of which bore evidence to the earlier outburst. Getting Arthur to the chair did, however, involve negotiating him carefully around numerous objects and broken pieces of furniture that lay strewn across the floor, but when he was safely seated, Merlin didn't ask but simply stated, "I'll tidy up."

Although it seemed to Merlin as if much of the chaos had simply been caused by Arthur lashing out at whatever was in reach and using as projectiles whatever came to hand, he felt a deep sorrow in his heart when he saw some of the particular fruits of Arthur's anguish. His mirror lay utterly shattered at the base of one of the walls, and the collection of helmets that was Arthur's pride and joy was distributed around the room, some of the pieces obviously badly dented. But what really broke Merlin's heart were two things lying wrecked on the floor which together had symbolised, more than anything else, what Arthur's life had stood for. The distinctive bright red cloak of the Knights of Camelot had been ripped completely in two, with both halves lying crumpled on the ground. And Arthur's sword had been smashed against the stone wall with such force that the blade had broken and both hilt and shattered blade were again among the debris on the stone floor. It was as if Arthur had demonstrated the devastating loss that blindness would bring upon his life by the destruction that he had wrought upon his most treasured possessions.

Merlin silently set about putting things back in order as best he could, and more than once – knowing that Arthur couldn't see him - his eyes flashed gold as he mended what had been broken. And when Merlin had done as much as he could, he went to find the one person who, more than any other, he hoped could help Arthur in his hour of need.

~~~ o ~~~

Gwen did everything she could to make it as easy for Arthur as possible. Merlin had closed the door behind her as she'd walked in with a tray of Arthur's favourite food that she'd hurriedly prepared herself. She'd set the tray down on the table, with the words, "It's Guinevere, Arthur," and after gently stroking his face, she'd pulled a chair alongside his, and begun to talk him through what was on the tray. She'd wisely decided – after listening to what Merlin had told her - not to spend time trying to talk to Arthur about what had happened, but to let him be, and to simply care for his needs.

As Gwen explained quietly and kindly about the food and exactly what was where, Arthur wasn't really listening however. Instead, he was thinking all the time about how he would never again see the person whose voice he could hear speaking, and how his love for Guinevere would be another victim of his blindness. _She was being kind at the moment – that was Gwen – but how long before her sympathy turned to pity or something worse? What possible future was there in a relationship where there was such an inequality? Her love for him was certain to wane or even die. And what could he possibly offer her now that he was so helpless? _

Arthur's train of thought was interrupted by his sudden awareness that she had stopped speaking and had finished her explanations.

"Thank you, Guinevere. That will be all."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to stay and help you?"

"No. You can leave now."

She lightly brushed her hand across his shoulder, and he didn't see the pain in her eyes caused by the distance he had put between them.

"I'm here Arthur, if you need me."

~~~ o ~~~

As Morgana sat with Uther that evening, he was glad to have someone to unburden himself to about his exchange with Arthur – although he was careful to omit any reference to what he had said to Arthur about the events surrounding his birth. And when he had finished relating the details of their heated argument and of Arthur's anguish and his own heartache at what he had had to say to his son, Morgana laid a comforting hand on Uther's own hand as it lay on the table, and with a look of deep sympathy in her eyes, she reassured the king, "You did the right thing, my lord. I am as heart-broken as you are about what has happened to Arthur, but you cannot break your laws, even for your own son, and he was wrong to ask you to. You, more than any other, have bravely borne the cost of the law against magic for the sake of your kingdom. You cannot waiver now, however high the price."

But this was, of course, not what she said to Arthur when she walked quietly into his chambers late in the evening. She sat close to him and, as she took his hands in her own, she lamented, "It is so cruel that he could not make an exception to his law for you, Arthur – he puts his own hatred of magic above your welfare!" But Merlin, who was still in the room, understood perfectly the game she was playing, trying to set father against son and son against father, but all he could do was stand and pray for her to leave Arthur alone as soon as possible. When she did finally leave, the bedtime routine was played out in virtual silence again for a second night, and once again Merlin offered to stay nearby and once again Arthur told him it wasn't necessary. But the darkness in the world around him had already begun to seep deep into his soul, and although he didn't make a remark again to Merlin about closing the curtains, Arthur knew as he put his head on the pillow that he would tell him not to bother opening them the following morning.

_**Author's Note**_

_**Was anyone else left wondering how Arthur finally knew in Series 4 that his mother's death was as a result of magic, when that had been denied in Series 2? Well, this was how he got to find out! **_

_**PS Apologies that somehow a couple of words got missed out in Chapter 1 – have now rectified!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

"Leave them."

Merlin stopped with his hands on the curtains.

"There's no point in opening them."

Merlin wisely didn't think it was the time or the place to point out to Arthur that even though he might not be able to see, a certain amount of light in the room would nevertheless help his servant to carrying whatever duties were required of him without disaster ensuing. Thankfully, it was at least another bright morning, and there was enough light seeping in around the edges of the curtains to enable Merlin to see his way around and avoid major mishaps.

Arthur had once again been awake when Merlin arrived. He'd been awake in fact for a number of hours, lying there just waiting for the sound of his servant coming into the room. After Merlin had left him the previous evening, despite his lack of sleep the night before, he'd still lain there for a long time, with the argument with his father going around in his head over and over again. Lying awake, alone and in darkness, the only truth he could see in his father's final words to him was that he wished that his son had never been born. _No wonder his father had lied to him before. _And when Arthur did finally fall into a fitful sleep, his dreams gave him no respite. He dreamed that he was in the lower town, but the normally bustling streets of Camelot were utterly deserted. He was trying to escape from a large and terrifying creature that was stalking him, waiting for the opportunity to pounce on him and kill him. He had somehow lost his chain-mail and was defenceless, apart from a small wooden sword in his hand. As he ran through the empty streets, he knew that people were inside their houses hiding, but however hard he banged on their doors, no-one would let him in, and every curtain was shut so that he couldn't even see in and plead with those inside. Every time he turned around to face the monster and fight it, it was hiding from him, but he knew that it was nearby, watching him and his every move. He ran across the drawbridge to the citadel, but found that the portcullis was down. He could see that the square beyond was also deserted, and although he screamed out to the unseen guards to the lift the bars, no one would answer him, even though he again knew that they must be there. He could hear the footsteps of the creature closing in on him from behind, getting closer and closer, until he could feel its breath upon him. It was at that moment that Arthur awoke and sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily and drenched with sweat. He immediately felt the slight pressure of the band around his eyes, and remembered where he was and what had happened. He had no idea in his darkness whether the world around him was still in the dead of night or whether the light of dawn had begun to creep into the room. He uttered a single word, "Merlin?" desperately hoping for the familiar voice of his companion, but all he got in reply was the silence of his room pressing in on him. He took off the damp nightshirt and threw it off to one side, and laid down on his back – and there he stayed until Merlin finally arrived.

Even in the semi-darkness of the room, Merlin could see that for a second night, Arthur's bedding showed the evidence of a troubled night. He eyed the crumpled night-shirt on the ground a little way from the bed and, in as casual a voice as he could muster, asked, "What happened to your shirt?"

"I got hot in the night" was the only explanation he received.

As Merlin tried to coax the prince out of bed and into getting washed and dressed, he was faced with a dilemma – _what on earth was Arthur going to do that day, and how was he going to broach the subject? _The usual would be a training session with the knights followed by lunch back in his chambers and a council meeting later in the afternoon. Geoffrey of Monmouth had gone down with a chill earlier in the week, however, and on the day that Arthur had gone to Aldur, Uther had decided in the morning to postpone that week's council, and so Arthur had decided then and there that he would take the opportunity of a free afternoon to go out for a hunt with Leon and a couple of the other knights. And Merlin knew that neither of the planned activities were going to be possible for the prince, and he had no idea what Arthur was going to do instead. But in the event, Merlin needn't have worried, because Arthur simply told him what he intended to do: _nothing._ Not that Arthur used that word, but it was implied in what he actually said.

"When you've served breakfast, you can go."

"Will you need me to do anything else for you, sire?"

"Like what?" There was a harshness in Arthur's tone, and the words were spoken in such a way that Merlin knew better than to make any suggestions which would simply be thrown back at him. And so Arthur filled the silence that followed with a single word, "Exactly!"

After a few moments he then muttered angrily to Merlin, "Leon will have to sort out the training session himself."

Merlin guided Arthur to the table once more, and then brought his food across and, as he'd done the previous day, explained to Arthur where everything was. But Arthur just sat there, unmoving, and Merlin could stand it no longer.

"Arthur….." he began gently, laying a hand on his arm.

"WHAT?"

The anger in Arthur's voice seemed to silence all of Merlin's good intentions of offering words of comfort and support, and he withdrew his hand immediately as if it had been burned.

"I…" began Merlin, hesitantly.

"You what?" snapped back Arthur. "You want to tell me not to worry? Not to give up? To look on the bright side? Oh, I'm sure I would want to do that if only I had eyes that could see!" Arthur's words were heavy with sarcasm and bitterness. "Do you want to tell me that things will seem better in a day or two, that things won't look so black once I've had time to get used to the idea of being blind for the rest of my life? Do you want to tell me that I can somehow still be this great king that you seem to think that I'm destined to be? WELL YOU'RE WRONG, MERLIN! My life is over, finished. Everything I've given my life for has been wasted, and there is no future for me, and the sooner that you and I and everybody else accepts that, the better!"

Merlin stood in silence for a few moments staring sadly as his friend, and then did the only thing he could think of: rather than risk saying the wrong thing, he chose to say nothing. And so without saying another word, he turned, walked over to the door, and after one final glance back at Arthur, walked out and closed the door quietly behind him. The sound of the latch on the door dropping almost silently back into place seemed to diffuse Arthur's anger, and deep down, a little voice told him that Merlin had only wanted to show him kindness and that he himself had behaved badly in the way he had responded. He sat on his own in silence for a minute or so, and then put his hand down to feel for his food, but having found the edge of the plate he paused for a moment, and then pushed the plate away.

~~~ o ~~~

Merlin walked despondently back into Gaius' rooms. The physician looked up. "How is he this morning?"

Merlin shrugged his shoulders. "No better. I think he intends to sit in his room all day with his curtains closed."

"You must give him time, Merlin. It's a terrible shock for him."

"He believes his life is over….."

"There will still be many things that he will be perfectly capable of."

"You try telling him that!"

Merlin pulled a wooden stool across the stone floor, and sat down at the table where Gaius had been eating his breakfast, with a book entitled, "Ten Effective Ways To Treat The Palsy" propped open before him. He leant his elbows on the table, linked his fingers together, and rested his chin on them, and then fixed Gaius with a determined look. "We've got to find some way of healing Arthur's blindness."

Gaius pushed the book away from him and sighed. "Merlin, finding a way to reverse the witch's curse is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack – always assuming that there is a needle there in the first place, which there may not be."

"Well, we've got to at least try, Gaius!"

"I agree, Merlin, but in the meantime, we must also try to help Arthur accept his blindness. If it is going to be impossible to restore his sight, then the sooner he adjusts to his new life, the better."

It was Merlin's turn to let out a deep sigh which Gaius knew was not only a small sign of Merlin's profound concern for his friend but also an indication of how difficult he was finding it to help him.

"Merlin, it was only this time yesterday that Arthur was told that he would never see again. Don't give up. He's bound to feel angry and desperate and low at first, but you and Gwen will have to find a way to help him rebuild his life."

"Well, that's not going to happen today by the looks of it."

"Then today, if you want to help Arthur, you can start by trying to discover the curse that was used against him."

Merlin finally lifted his chin off his fingers and seemed to perk up slightly at the thought of something that he could at last do. "And how do I do that?"

"Well you can use your own brains for a start! How do you think you can find out?"

Merlin paused and thought for a moment. "By searching through every single book on magic I can lay my hands on to find out every possible curse that can cause blindness and then seeing if any of them sound familiar to Leon or the other knights?"

"There, Merlin – you do have a brain after all!"

Merlin grinned back at him.

"And may I suggest then, Merlin, that whilst Arthur doesn't require your services, you jolly well get on with it straight away?"

"You don't need me for anything?"

The elderly physician's mouth turned up into a little smile as he pulled his book back towards him, looked down at the page, and said "Off you go…"

And Merlin grinned once again, jumped up from the table, and headed off to his room and the book that was hidden beneath the floorboards.

~~~ o ~~~

But Merlin wasn't the only sorcerer to be spurred into action by Arthur's blindness that day. After nightfall, Morgana Pendragon slipped out of Camelot and into Darkling woods, and waited silently in the coolness of the night near a distinctive large, black rock.

"Sister!" Morgause was always delighted to be reunited with Morgana, and the two witches embraced warmly. When they pulled apart, Morgause looked inquisitively at the other woman. "I got your message and came. What news, sister?"

Morgana took the hands of her beloved sister and soul-mate in her own and stood smiling at her. "My brother foolishly tried to arrest one of our kind on Uther's orders, and paid for his mistake by being cursed. He has been left blind and there is nothing that Gauis or anyone else can do about it!"

Morgause's face lit up once again. "Good news, indeed, sister!"

"And I intend to ensure that his sight is not all that he loses. He has been left completely vulnerable, and all it will take is someone who is willing to wield a sword or a dagger against him for us to be rid of him forever."

"I can find you such a man….."

"Make it two, just to be sure! Tell them that they will be suitably rewarded and that we will ensure that they can enter and leave the citadel without having to face a single guard."

Morgause's smile faded slightly into a look of concern. "It may take a few days to find men who can be trusted and who will not let us down."

"Do not fear, sister. The way my brother is going, by the time our assassins reach him, he may be begging them to put him out of his misery!"

"And then your path to the throne will be secure!"

And with that thought in their minds, the sisters smiled and embraced once again in the darkness.

~~~ o ~~~

And as Morgana was slipping out of the city, Merlin was once again creeping into Arthur's chambers. He had barely seen the prince all day. At noon he had collected the barely touched breakfast tray and replaced it with a lunch tray. There was little evidence in the room that Arthur had done anything other than sit in his chair all morning, the room still largely in darkness. Merlin found himself sent away almost immediately, and Gwen's experience was little different at supper time. She had once again laid her hand on his arm, but it was as if he didn't feel it – there was no response from him, no turning of his head towards her, only a short thank you and words of dismissal that were not so much cold as empty of feeling, and tears of which Arthur was completely oblivious rolled silently down her cheeks. She squeezed his shoulder and kissed the top of his head so lightly that he barely felt it, and then, as Merlin had done only hours before, she silently walked to the door and closed it gently behind her as she left.

Arthur had spent the long hours alone in his room sliding further and further into a black despair. In his mind, everything that he did, everything that he had been born for, required his sight. _A blind warrior was a nonsense. A leader who could not see his men was impotent. A king without sight was pitiful and shameful for any kingdom._ Arthur had always grown up being a man of action, and he knew no other life. The only time he had seen blind people in the kingdom was when he had passed them in the streets begging, and he had pressed a silver coin or two in their hands out of pity. And so in his mind, begging was all that the blind seemed to do with their lives - _but even begging was not an option for him_. Arthur could see no hope for his future, and began to wonder if his father had not been right – _maybe it would have been better had he not been born._

Merlin, meanwhile, had had a day that was not altogether unsuccessful, but still limited in what he'd achieved. He'd managed to find three curses that caused blindness, but still reckoned that he had five more books to trawl through – and it was slow going – he had to be absolutely sure that he didn't miss anything. _Still, it was progress at least. _When it was finally time to prepare Arthur for bed, he found Arthur more or less in the same state that he'd left him at lunchtime, and the only thing that was different about the routine that Merlin and Arthur went through that night at bedtime was that Arthur pulled off the black band from around his head and tossed it aside with the words, "There's no point in wearing this when there's no one to see it." He was to regret his action the following morning, however.

After Merlin closed the door behind him, Arthur's night began with him lying awake for an hour or so, but after two nights of little sleep, he finally succumbed to a deep slumber, slipping in and out of dreams throughout the night - dreams in which he could, of course, still see. And he was fast asleep and in the middle of a particularly graphic dream when Merlin began turning the handle on the door to his room in the morning. The dream involved looking desperately – but unsuccessfully - for Guinevere, and having already run through most of the citadel, he had just reached - in bright sunlight - the woods to the south of Camelot.

Merlin entered the room a little more loudly than he'd intended, and the sound woke Arthur suddenly and abruptly from the deep sleep and from the dream, and he momentarily forgot where he was and what had happened. Without the band round his eyes as an immediate reminder of his blindness, he opened his eyes wide and looked around and found himself alone in an inky darkness. And in those few moments of confusion and disorientation, it felt as if he had woken from a dream into a nightmare. And he called out in fear for the one person who was always there: "Merlin!"

Merlin heard the note of alarm in his voice, and saw his wide unseeing eyes, and was by his side in moment. He took hold of the arm that was reached out into thin air: "I'm here, my lord."

Arthur grasped it, and with that solid proof of reality also came the memory of all that had happened. Part of him was ashamed of his panicked cry, but the other part was simply grateful for the reassurance in his darkness that Merlin's firm grasp gave him – that someone else was with him in it. Neither of them spoke for a few moments, until Arthur finally asked, "Where did the black band go?"

~~~ o ~~~

For both Arthur and Merlin, the third day of Arthur's blindness passed, in some ways, very much like the second, at least until the evening. Merlin's morning of study had yielded one more book read and one more curse discovered. Arthur's day, after his sudden awakening, began with the same numbness and despondency as the previous one. As the morning wore on, however, his sense of shock slowly lessened and his mood swung more to one of agitation and anger, and – with varying degrees of success – he began moving around his room once again. When Merlin arrived with lunch, Arthur asked sharply, "Where's my sword?"

Merlin put the tray down. "You broke it, sire. I had to take it to Elyan to see if he could do anything with it at his forge."

"Get me another one!" and his tone spoke of a demand, not a request.

Merlin paused, turning over in his mind the only two possible reasons he could think of for which Arthur might want a sword – one was to wreak more destruction on his room, and the other one didn't bear thinking about."

"Do you…" Merlin stopped before he'd barely begun his question, hesitant as to how Arthur would react.

"Do I what?" Arthur's impatience was clear in his tone of voice.

"Do you…. think that's that wise?"

"I'll be the judge of what's wise! Go and get another one now."

Merlin shook his head and a little sigh escaped, which didn't do anything to improve Arthur's mood.

"NOW, Merlin!"

The food still seemed to have little taste for Arthur, and at least half of it lay discarded on the plate by the time Merlin – with deep misgivings – returned with a sword, and Arthur heard the familiar sound of metal on wood, as it was set down.

"Where have you put it?"

"It's on the low cabinet by the wall, sire – I've put it next to your helmets." Merlin had considered lying, but thought better of it, and Arthur's only reply was to tell Merlin to go away again.

Merlin walked slowly over to the door with the tray with the remnants of Arthur's lunch and a deep sense of misgiving. His mind was racing, trying to think of a spell that might somehow render the sword useless or unusable – but he could think of nothing. What he did think of, however, as he put his hand on the door, was a rather different solution to his fear for Arthur's safety. He opened the door, called out "I'll be back later to see if there's anything you need, and then closed the door again, with himself still on the same side of the door as Arthur. He knew he might live to regret it if Arthur realised at any point that he was still there and spying on him, but the stakes were sufficiently high that he was willing to risk it, and he figured that all that he needed to do when he was sure that Arthur wasn't going to do anything stupid, was to do what he'd just done in reverse, and act as if he'd just walked in.

He silently lowered himself – and the tray and its contents - to the ground, and took his position, sitting with his back against the wall where he could keep a watch on the prince in the darkened room. Arthur sat in his chair, motionless, for a while, and then Merlin watched as he raised his elbows and set them on the table and then lowered his head into his hands. He continued to sit there, slowly rubbing his hands up and down his forehead for what seemed like an age, but then Merlin was suddenly jerked back into vigilance by the sound of Arthur's fists hitting the table. He then got to his feet and began to feel his way around the room, and it pained Merlin to see him reduced to slow, hesitant steps with his arms held out in front of him, ready to stop himself from walking into any unseen obstacle.

Merlin felt a pang of guilt as he watched Arthur. Part of him regretted his decision to spy on his friend, particularly when it meant watching him at his weakest. The regret disappeared however, as Arthur felt his way over to the wooden cabinet on which the sword lay. Merlin stiffened and he watched intently as Arthur slowly picked up the sword, feeling the weight of it in his hand and turning it slowly around as he gripped it. He swung it through the air, as if in slow motion, once or twice and then stood, stock still, with the blade hanging in mid-air. Merlin held his breath, and every part of his body tensed, ready to take action and stop the sword with magic, if needed. The two men remained frozen for what felt like an eternity – and then Arthur slowly lowered the sword, feeling for the top of the cabinet with it, and returned it to its place. Merlin breathed again, but as Arthur slowly felt his way back to his chair, his servant realised to his horror that the action of holding his breath in had left him with a tickle in his throat that threatened any moment to become a cough. He stuffed first his red neckerchief into his mouth, and then his fist, and he somehow managed to make his muffled cough coincide with the slight grating of the chair on the stone floor as Arthur sat down.

But the cough hadn't been entirely disguised – and Merlin watched in horror as Arthur's head suddenly jerked up and his head turned in his direction.

"Merlin – is that you?"

Another muffled cough.

"MERLIN!"

And with that, Arthur jumped to his feet, and moved in the direction of the cabinet again, crashing into it, and sending one of the helmets flying onto the floor. As Arthur fumbled for the sword, fully intending to use it for a third purpose which Merlin had not previously considered, the latter decided that it was time to depart, now that he had ensured that the sword would not be inflicting harm on anyone other than himself. And as he ran down the corridor, he heard the clattering of what he took to be the contents of the tray on the floor, a loud thud, and then an almighty crash as the door was yanked open and then hurled back on its hinges. The last thing he heard as he turned the corner was "COME BACK HERE NOW!" being yelled furiously by Arthur at the top of his voice. Merlin decided not to comply.

~~~ o ~~~

Arthur was still in a foul mood – and the sword back where Merlin had placed it - when Guinevere arrived with his evening meal. She found the beautiful early evening sunshine shut out of his room, and the prince sitting despondently in the darkness – and she decided it was time to act. She put the tray down on the table, and walked over to the curtains and drew them back.

"Don't bother."

His voice was sullen, but hers was earnest: "Arthur, this cannot go on!"

"Just let me be, Guinevere…," but she loved him too much to give in to his request, and she leant down and took one of his hands in hers.

"Arthur, you need to start living again."

He pulled his hand away almost immediately, replied bitterly: "Why? What's the point when I'm left like this? I've lost everything and my life is over!"

"Your life is not over Arthur….. But you cannot carry on like this."

Once again, he couldn't see her anguish. Had he done so, he might not have spat out the words, "Why not?!" with quite the same degree of belligerence.

"Can't you see you're destroying yourself?"

Gwen's wording of her question was the final straw for him, and his anger and bitterness finally spilled over, as he shouted "NO I CAN'T SEE! HOW CAN I? I'M BLIND!"

A silence hung between them, and Arthur immediately regretted his outburst, and he muttered an apology to Guinevere: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout."

But if anything, his anger just fuelled her determination further, and the greatness of her love for Arthur meant that she was not prepared to leave him in his despair, and when she spoke again there was a firmness in her voice. "Arthur – listen to me. Have you forgotten who you are?"

His head was still down and he spoken sullenly: "I'm Arthur Pendragon, the blind prince of Camelot."

"Arthur, that is not what I mean."

Although he couldn't see the fire in her eyes, he could hear the growing passion in her voice as she spoke. "Yes, you are blind… but the real tragedy and the greater blindness is that you have lost sight of who you truly are! Arthur, I know that a terrible thing has happened to you and that it is probably the greatest challenge you have ever faced, but I have faith in you, Arthur! I know you, and I know that you are the man who faces his fears and overcomes each and every one of them; the man who does not allow himself to be defeated, however great the foe or the obstacle that stands in the way; the man who cares more for his people than he does for himself; and the man who will still be the greatest and most noble king that this land has ever known! That is the man I know is still sitting before me and that is the man that I want back."

Arthur sat in silence for a few moments, taking in her words. He shifted in his seat, and she knew his quietness meant that he'd heard what she'd said. When he finally spoke again, it was without the bitterness in his voice, and his question was a real rather than a rhetorical one.

"But how can I be a king who cannot lead his men out into battle?"

The change in his tone softened her reply. "It is not the ability to bear a sword that makes a great king, Arthur – it's the ability to rule the people with justice, wisdom and compassion. Others can be your eyes, and you have knights who will faithfully and loyally fight for you and be your army. But…" She paused as she lay her hand gently on his chest, over his heart: "….. it is your heart, Arthur, that will make you the great king that I know you still will be, and no one but you can be your heart."

She lifted her hand from his chest, and he sat not speaking for several moments. She watched as his brow furrowed, however, and after another pause, he quietly said, "You can leave, if you want to."

She smiled. "Morgana won't need me again until much later. I can stay with you this evening for as long as you want me to."

But Arthur just said in a slightly choked voice, "That's not what I meant."

It took Gwen a moment to realise that he was giving her permission to break off their relationship, and her heart almost broke at the sadness she could feel in him.

"Oh, Arthur…," she breathed, and when she continued, the fiery passion in her voice was replaced by soft words, lovingly spoken. "Do you really think that I love you any less because you have lost your sight, Arthur?"

He summoned up his courage and finally voiced his remaining fear: "And do I need eyes that can see to be a husband who won't disappoint?"

She leant over him, and kissed him gently on the lips.

"How could you ever disappoint me, Arthur?" And then she added, "You may have lost your sight, Arthur, but you have not lost the things in your life that matter the most…"

She began to stroke his head, and as she did so, he reached a hand up and rested it on her arm. "I thought that I could not live without my sight, but I realise that it is actually you that I cannot bear the thought of living without…"

And Gwen knew that she finally had Arthur back, and the realisation made her eyes begin to well up with tears and her throat tightened so that she couldn't speak. Arthur turned his face upwards towards her. "What I grieve the most is not being able to see your face and the look in your eyes…." Gwen, still not speaking, took Arthur's hands in hers and raised him to his feet. She then lifted his hands to her face so that he could feel it, and as he moved his hands gently and carefully over her face, he discovered the dampness under her eyes, and there was a note of surprise in his voice as he spoke: "You're crying…."

He gently and carefully brushed the tears away with his thumbs, and a smile came to her face as she said in reply, "Not all tears are sad."

Arthur felt the change in the shape of her face, and he knew that she was smiling – and for the first time in more than three days, he smiled too. And with his hands on her face, he knew exactly where her lips were, and he used that knowledge well.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note**_

_**Angst over, now the fun begins…..**_

Chapter 6

"I'm sorry I've treated you so badly."

They were the first words Arthur said to Gwen, when the two of them eventually pulled apart from a kiss that had been anything but brief.

"You're forgiven."

The look of contrition on Arthur's face was soon replaced by another smile, and Gwen recognised the old impishness in it: "Is your head still in the same place?"

She replied with a laugh, "It hasn't gone anywhere!"

Arthur leaned his head down and hoped that her lips would find his, as it wasn't so easy with his hands no longer resting on her face. They had moved quickly from Gwen's face to her back and her waist, to pull her in closer when they had started kissing. In the one moment of rational thought that he'd had during their very long and very lingering kiss, the happy observation that had gone through his mind was, _well, at least that's one thing that I don't need my eyes for._

As they pulled apart for a second time, Gwen wanted to build straight away on the progress that Arthur had made. "We should get Merlin – he needs to be involved as well."

"I really don't want to kiss him!"

Gwen gave another little laugh at Arthur's joking, more at the fact that he'd made a light-hearted comment rather at than the quality of his joke.

"That's not what I meant!"

"I'm glad to hear it!"

Although she grieved the fact that she would never again see the laughter in his eyes, it was nothing like the grief she'd felt at losing the man that Arthur was. She smiled again. "No, we – the three of us – are going to beat this together. You'll need Merlin's help even more now….."

"God help me!"

She ignored his interruption. "…. and together we need to work out how we can best help you. Now, are you hungry?"

Arthur nodded: "Mmm." The mention of food made him realise that the banishing of his fears and desolation had left him feeling ravenous, especially after three days of precious little food. "What's for supper?"

Gwen smiled again, and led him back to the table and to the chair beside it. Once he was seated, she pulled the tray towards him, guided his right hand to the plate, and described what was on it. She then put a goblet into his left hand, and as she filled it with wine, he tilted up his head towards her. "You know, I could really eat a herb-crusted capon….."

"I'll take this away then, and get the kitchens to – "

"No! I mean as well as this."

Arthur's heart would have lifted further had he been able to see her raised eye-brows and the little wry smile on her face. "Well I suppose you do need feeding up a bit! You eat this then, whilst I go and ask the kitchens to prepare one for you and I'll get Merlin at the same time."

And with that she left him wolfing down the first meal that he had had an appetite for in days.

~~~ o ~~~

The sun had set by the time the three of them were sitting together in Arthur's chambers, although the sky was still alive with an ever-changing and ever-darkening mass of reds and oranges. In the time since he'd been blinded and since their argument, Uther had come to see his son each day. Their disagreement and the words that had been said remained an unspoken awkwardness between them, and although Uther felt a deep grief for Arthur's condition, he had been unable to help him in his plight. The truth was that Uther could not really see a future for his son, beyond one of crippling limitations, and so he hadn't had the first idea about how to help him rebuild his life. His expectations of what Arthur could and would be able to do were fairly minimal and so their short times together had left Arthur feeling ever more convinced that he would have little life beyond the four walls of his chambers.

But now Arthur, Gwen and Merlin began to discuss together all the things that were part of Arthur's life, and how each could be made possible, at least in part. Gwen was the first to speak when Arthur's empty plate - now garnished with a capon carcass picked completely clean - had been cleared away and the two servants sat down with their prince. "We're not going to be able to work this all out in one evening, Arthur. I'm sure that much of it will have to be worked out as we go along, but we will make this work, I promise you!"

Arthur could hear the same passion in her voice that he'd heard earlier, and a fire began to be kindled in his heart.

The first thing that they tackled was the most basic thing – getting around.

"I'm NOT going to spend my life holding onto your arm, Merlin. We are NOT going to be a couple!"

"But you'd hold on to my arm?" queried Gwen.

"Gladly. Willingly. And even my father wouldn't refuse me that."

"But that's not going to work."

Arthur let out an exasperated sigh. "Why do you always have to make things difficult, Merlin?"

"I like to call it _common sense, _sire.Gwen can only be with you when she's finished the tasks that Morgana gives her. Much as I also hate to say this, you're going to have to make do with me."

"But I'm still not going around holding on to your arm or your hand or any other part of your anatomy."

After a number of suggestions which were rejected by either Arthur or Merlin or both of them, Merlin finally suggested a small rod, which they each could hold one end of. Held between them it would naturally keep Arthur on the right course, "… providing my usually clumsy servant can manage to walk in a straight line himself and not collide with anything along the way."

They began to practice around Arthur's room with a remarkable degree of success and an equally fortunate avoidance of disaster. And Arthur, in one of his more honest and vulnerable moments, admitted to Merlin, "It helped the other day when you described to me who was coming along the corridor. Tell me everything you see as we go along, Merlin – I want you to be my eyes."

Merlin and Gwen smiled at one another, happy to see Arthur for once admitting his need and accepting help, and so, even within a room that was so familiar to Arthur, Merlin began to describe what he could see - the sky outside the window, where Gwen was standing, where he was in the room, and anything else he could think of.

Another break-through came when Merlin suggesting using the points of the compass as a short-hand means of telling him where things were: "So if I say _north,_ that means straight ahead, if I say _west, _then –"

"That means left; _east - _right, _south - _behind. I get it Merlin! I'm not entirely stupid."

Gwen cocked her head at Merlin, slightly puzzled. "But why not just say left and right?"

Merlin grinned back triumphantly: "Ah, but this way, you also get north-east and north-west, and if we get very clever, north-north-east!"

Arthur's eyebrows went up and he gave a little nod. "It seems that my servant isn't entirely stupid either."

"So, if I say to Arthur, his sword is north-west…"

There was a little pregnant pause before Arthur said, "Yes?"

"Point to it!"

"I'm not a dog doing tricks, Merlin!"

"Just do it, Arthur!"

Arthur gave a little snort of disgruntlement but then complied.

"Very good!"

"Try not to sound so condescending, Merlin – that's my role."

"Window – south-west."

Arthur gave a little sigh of exasperation, but pointed behind him and to the left.

"Water jug – east-north-east."

Arthur did it without comment, and Gwen looked both surprised and delighted and gave a little clap. But before Merlin could open his mouth again, Arthur interjected, "All well and good, but can we stop now?"

"Are you getting tired?"

"No, just bored…."

"Seat – due east, two paces."

And as Arthur took a step and reached out, taking hold of the chair fairly easily, his head turned towards Merlin.

His servant gave an amused grin back: "It's funny that you can still give me a dirty look without your eyes."

And even Arthur had to laugh. When he could tell from the sound of chairs around him that the others were also seated, he laid out his first proper plan – and first specific goal. "My father told me that the council has been re-scheduled for the day after tomorrow. I'll only need my ears to be fully part of that, not my eyes. So tomorrow we practice."

"Practice what?"

"I want to not only get to the council chambers, but also to be able to walk into that room and to my seat unaided. That should wake them all up."

Merlin and Gwen grinned at each other - this was more like the Arthur they knew. Merlin added his suggestion: "If we wait right until they're about to start, sire, then they'll all be seated, and there'll be less risk of bumping into anyone."

"Full of sensible suggestions today, Merlin – what's got into you?"

And then Arthur took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Nothing like making a grand entrance!"

~~~ o ~~~

And Arthur's change of heart was also why later that evening, when Gaius returned to his room, he heard a loud crash just before he opened the door, and then walked in to find Merlin moving around the room wearing a blindfold. The room was also in a certain amount of chaos. Merlin stopped shuffling around momentarily, and turned his head towards his mentor: "Gaius?"

"Merlin, what exactly are you doing?"

"Trying to help Arthur."

"What, by destroying my room?"

"Research, Gaius – research!" And with that, Merlin continued feeling his way around the room, trying to understand more fully what it was like for Arthur and trying to anticipate what some of the challenges would be for him – and some challenges he learned the hard way.

"MERLIN, MIND THE – "

"OW!"

~~~ o ~~~

The following day was firstly spent around the corridors of Camelot, simply practising walking around beyond Arthur's own room. In another moment of honesty before they left, Arthur said to Merlin, "You do realise, don't you, that I'm putting my life in your hands?"

"Absolutely sire – you can trust me."

Arthur nodded, but as he and Merlin left his chambers, he also issued dark threats as to what would happen if he was steered into any walls or obstructions or fell down any stairs. And so they headed out, rod between them, Arthur on the right and Merlin on the left. Arthur wanted to keep his right hand free if he needed to greet anyone and, besides, his right hand was his sword hand, and old habits died hard.

Of course, there were accidents along the way (thankfully none involving stairs), and true as ever to his word, Arthur ensured that each one was as painful for his servant was as it was for him – and Merlin soon learned to be more careful. Merlin also learned that he could at least use his magic to avert the occasional disaster as long as no one else was around, and the odd chair or suit of armour or statue found itself moving of its own accord when Arthur got dangerously close. But the truth was that Arthur was actually enjoying himself. It was a challenge unlike anything he'd ever faced before and required courage – even if of a slightly different nature to that he'd had to exercise before.

There were three staircases that Arthur would have to negotiate regularly, and after the number of steps in each one was counted and memorised, each set was approached and practiced a number of times. Going up was not so difficult; approaching stairs going down required more courage, and Merlin began to get accustomed to giving Arthur a running commentary in a low voice, giving distances in paces as they approached stairs or corners or people.

"Leon, just appeared. Twenty paces. Approaching, north–north-east." Arthur walked eight paces (reckoning that Leon would also have walked the same distance in that time) and then stopped and listened to his footsteps coming close.

"Ah, Sir Leon. How are the training sessions going in my absence?"

Leon stood and gawped for a moment or two, before recovering from the slightly surreal experience of encountering Arthur with the black band around his eyes, behaving as if everything was perfectly normal. "Good day, my lord. Erm, they seem to be, er, going alright…."

"Maybe we could discuss them together tomorrow afternoon. I'll come out on the training field with you, and you can talk me through how the knights are progressing, and we can discuss the training programme."

"Very good, sire."

Arthur nodded, and Merlin knew the exchange was over. He gave a little tug on the rod, guiding Arthur slightly to the left, so that Leon had room to pass on the right along the corridor. And when they were safely out of earshot, Arthur whispered, "How did he look?"

"Surprised…."

And Arthur gave a little satisfied smile; "Good!"

~~~ o ~~~

When Merlin served Arthur breakfast the following day, he could tell the prince was both nervous and excited at the prospect of the council meeting. And like facing some great test of skill in a tournament, he just wanted it to begin so that he could stop feeling edgy and throw himself into the challenge. They had both spent two hours the previous evening alone in the council chambers, pacing out the distance from the door to Arthur's usual chair which was to the right of Uther, who sat at the head of the table. Arthur had practised the route, including the walk around the table, again and again, until he could do it without even holding the rod.

They finally made their way along the corridor, with Arthur confidently greeting each person they met along the way as Merlin whispered their name in advance. They stopped just around the corner out of sight from the doors into the council chambers, and Arthur waited whilst Merlin watched for exactly the right moment for them to enter – just as everyone was taking their seats and before Uther called the meeting to order.

"Ready, sire?"

"Ready! Let's go!"

And so before the guards on the doors had closed them for the meeting to begin, Arthur strode in, with Merlin close by his side. Although he couldn't see the reactions of the council members, he could sense it – particularly as the murmurs of conversations suddenly petered out and were replaced by silence.

"They're all looking at you" hissed Merlin, his lips barely moving.

"I bet they are!" hissed back Arthur in a voice that could only be heard by his servant.

The practice had paid off, and Arthur walked to exactly the right place, waited as Merlin pulled his empty seat out for him, and then sat down.

"Arthur…" The note of surprise in Uther's voice did not go unnoticed by his son.

"Good morning, father." Arthur didn't add any explanation or further words, but acted as if it was just another meeting, like any other council.

There was a moment or two more of silence, and then the king simply said, "Well, I suppose we'd better get started."

Merlin pulled a little stool that they'd left by the wall over to Arthur's right side, away from the king, so that he could continue to whisper to Arthur without anyone else hearing. Arthur had told him that he wanted to know everything – people's reactions, their expressions, the interactions that were going on – and Merlin performed his task well, enabling Arthur to feel more informed about the dynamics of the meeting and what was happening. This was all going to plan until Leon embarked upon a particularly detailed report concerning the on-going dispute with Nemeth over the territories of Gedref.

Merlin's lips barely moved as he whispered, "Geoffrey of Monmouth has just nodded off."

Arthur's sudden and involuntary burst of laughter was rapidly converted into a cough, and he heard Leon break off.

"They're all looking at you again," came the next barely audible comment.

"Shut up, Merlin" hissed Arthur, before giving another little cough, and raising his voice. "Sorry, gentlemen. Do carry on, Sir Leon."

And as Leon continued with the finer detail of the disputed territories, Arthur heard in his ear, "At least it woke Geoffrey up."

And Merlin heard in his: "Not another comment like that, if you value your life."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was the first time that Arthur had even been woken with a kiss. A little smile came to his face; he didn't, of course, need to ask who it was.

"Wake up, sleepy-head!"

Arthur yawned. The effort of concentrating so hard during the day, both at the council meeting and then with Leon out on the training field, had left him feeling exhausted, and as soon as Merlin had guided him back to his seat in his room late in the afternoon, he'd nodded off.

"Feeling hungry?"

Arthur put his arm out slowly, and when his hand found the skirt of Guinevere's dress, it quickly managed to also find her waist, and she laughed as he pulled her down onto his lap.

"Hungry, yes, but the food can wait," and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Still here, sire…."

Arthur reddened slightly, let out a sigh of exasperation, and said in a slightly resigned voice, "Merlin….."

"Just thought you ought to know, sire."

There was a little awkward pause, during which Arthur unwrapped his arms from Gwen which she took as the cue to stand up again.

"Merlin, what exactly are you doing?"

"At this moment? Well, that would be NOT drawing attention to the fact that you're blushing."

"Am not!"

"Well, in that case, as well as NOT drawing attention to the fact that you're NOT blushing, I'm polishing your armour."

There was a little pause. "I'm surprised that you're still bothering…." Arthur's tone wasn't bitter but there was sadness in his voice. "After all, I'm hardly going to need it anymore, and besides….."

He broke off and swallowed hard and his head lowered slightly, and the other two knew exactly how he would have finished his sentence: _I wouldn't be able to tell the difference._

Gwen gave his shoulder a little squeeze.

He quickly added a quiet, "Sorry," raised his head, and deliberately changed the subject. "So, what am I eating tonight?"

It had been easy in the new found direction of the previous two days to think that Arthur had now completely accepted his new life, but his comment reminded Gwen and Merlin that it was still early days, and they shared a quick look of concern before Gwen put on a cheerful voice and started to describe the evening meal that was on the tray. It was also a reminder for Merlin of the other task that he was still engaged in – and it strengthened his resolve to find the cure that would restore Arthur's sight.

Merlin stood up. "If you don't need me for the moment, sire…"

"You can go, Merlin."

And with that, he left Arthur in Gwen's capable hands and headed back to Gaius.

~~~ o ~~~

When Merlin got back he found Gaius looking tired but satisfied.

"I've finished."

Merlin had been so occupied with Arthur over the previous two days, that Gaius had volunteered to take over the job of searching through the books of magic for curses that caused blindness. Merlin hurried over to the table, and quickly pulled a chair over so that he could sit opposite Gaius. Even before he was seated, he asked excitedly, "What have you found?"

"I've been through all the remaining books, and only found two more curses that can cause blindness."

"So that makes a total of six."

Gaius closed the book that was open on the table in front of him, and pushed it away from him. "Both of them are intended to cause permanent blindness, but only one of them has a spell that can reverse its effects."

Merlin's brow creased as he combined this information with what they already knew. "So we have one spell that only causes temporary blindness, and five that cause permanent blindness – which, given the witch's words, must mean that hers was one of the five."

And Gaius completed their summary: "And we now know that two of those five are curses that have no spell that can reverse them."

Merlin sighed. "Let's just hope that the one she used wasn't one of those."

They both sat in deep thought for a moment, before Merlin spoke again. "The sooner I find out which it is, the better."

Gaius looked questioningly at him: "What are you going to say to Leon?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'll probably say it's for your research or something like that."

The old man smiled. "Just make sure he doesn't suspect you of doing something connected with magic."

Merlin grinned back. "I'll be careful. You know me, Gaius!"

The elderly physician put his elbows on the table, and locked the fingers of both hands together, as he looked intently over the top of his glasses at the young man opposite him: "Yes, Merlin, I do – and that's what worries me!"

~~~ o ~~~

The moon was already high in the sky when Merlin slipped through the almost deserted streets of Camelot and out beyond the city into the open ground where he would often summon Kilgharrah. The conversation with Leon hadn't taken long. When Leon had looked at him darkly and asked why he wanted to know the exact curse that had blinded Arthur, Merlin had put on his best matter-of-fact voice, waxed lyrical for longer than he really needed to about the benefits of research in the all-important fight against magic, and then blamed Gauis as well for good measure. Leon hadn't looked entirely convinced, but then when Merlin had reeled off the words of the five possible curses intended to cause permanent blindness, Leon had been in no doubt as to which one it had been. He'd even said, _that's the one,_ before Merlin had finished the words. And when Merlin had questioned him as to whether he was sure, there had been no doubt at all in Leon's mind. Merlin had thanked him, left Leon's room, and then had leant back against the nearest wall almost as soon as he had closed the door behind him: it was one of the two curses that couldn't be reversed.

The words of the summons were barely out of Merlin's mouth before the dragon, as ever, seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and landed almost noiselessly on the open ground in front of Merlin.

"Thank you for coming!"

The dragon lowered its neck so that its eyes were closer to Merlin's, and he peered at the young man standing before him. "And what it is that troubles you this time, young warlock?"

"It's Arthur….."

"Isn't it always?"

"He's been cursed by a witch and blinded, and the curse has no spell that can undo its effects. Surely you must know a cure!"

"If no magic exists to restore his sight, then there is no cure."

"But surely that cannot mean that Arthur will never be able to see again? How can he be the great king that he's destined to be if he is blind?"

"You are right, Merlin. The Once and Future King will need his vision if he is to be able to fulfil all that is prophesied about him."

"But you just said that there isn't a cure."

"That is correct, young warlock….."

As was often the case when talking with the dragon, Merlin's frustration at his lack of clarity became apparent in the exasperation in his voice: "So what on earth am I supposed to do?"

"You, young warlock, will have to create a cure."

Merlin stared at Kilgharrah, trying to understand exactly what the dragon was saying, but got nowhere. "Create a cure? What do you mean?"

The dragon tilted its head slightly as it answered the question. "How do you think so many different spells exist today? They only exist because those with magic combined the powers within them with the right pattern of effectual words to bring about what they desired."

"They made them up?"

"They crafted them!"

Merlin stood silently for a moment, contemplating the new concepts that had just been imparted to him, and the dragon then dispelled any remaining doubt in his mind about what he had to do: "You have all the elements of magic that you need within you, Merlin – it is up to you to find the right way to combine them so that Arthur's sight can be restored."

And with that, the dragon spread its enormous wings and took to the sky, leaving Merlin both excited and daunted.

~~~ o ~~~

It was, however, difficult for Merlin to find time to embark upon his new venture. If he'd thought that his life serving Arthur before had been hectic, it was nothing compared with what the prince required of him now. Merlin had to be at his side as he walked everywhere, and even when he wasn't walking anywhere, Merlin often had to still be at his side giving a constant commentary on what was happening at a meeting or during a tournament or training session, and if he wasn't commentating, then he was often having to read out to Arthur one of the many documents that required his attention or his decision. Merlin more than once got himself into trouble when he injected at the end of some letter or piece of legislation with words such as, _well, they're obviously lying, _or, _that's just stupid! _Arthur on each occasion pointed out that the running of the kingdom and the framing of its legislation didn't require his opinion. And Merlin wisely decided to keep his mouth shut and not remind Arthur of the many occasions when he _had_ asked his opinion. And so, quite often when the day was ending and Arthur had been safely delivered to his bed once again, Merlin was so tired that all he was capable of doing was staggering into his room and collapsing on his own bed.

Merlin, however, was still excited and utterly intrigued by the possibility that he had the power within him to create new spells, and he longed to have the time to start discovering what he was capable of. But he made another discovery first: that Arthur was actually better at one particular thing than he'd been when he had been able to see. And he discovered this when he was clearing up after one meal he'd served Arthur, chattering away as he picked up the plates, as he often was in the habit of doing. "You know I really do think that was one of my better culinary efforts….. not, I'll admit, that it could have been worse than the last one. Do you think it tastes better or worse if you actually can't see what I'm putting in front of you?" He continued with waiting for an answer. "Take, for instance, that burnt – "

But he never finished his sentence, as a piece of fruit came flying across the room, hitting him on the shoulder and causing him to drop the plates he'd just picked up. "OW!"

Before Merlin even had time to turn and look at him, he heard Arthur's voice cheerily exclaiming, "I take it that found its target!"

Merlin stared at him: "How do you do that?"

Arthur grinned. "I just follow the sound of your annoying voice. Impressed?"

Merlin turned back to start picking up the plates again and all the bits that had been scattered over the table: "Moderately…."

Another missile hit him straight away. "Ow!"

Arthur exclaimed triumphantly once more, "Another direct hit!"

The tone of annoyance was perfectly clear in Merlin's voice: "Now you're just enjoying yourself!"

"Yes! You should try it sometime…. You know, I actually think I'm getting better at this that I was before!"

Merlin decided, however, that prince or no prince, there were limits to what a servant should be expected to put up with. He grabbed the nearest object (which happened to be the bone from a lamb cutlet) and threw it at Arthur. Throwing (without the aid of magic) had never, however, been Merlin's strong point, and the bone sailed past Arthur and made a clanging sound as it hit one of the helmets on the cabinet behind him. Arthur turned slightly, towards where the sound had come from. "I take it that that was the sound of you throwing something back at me ….. and missing?"

There were times when Arthur really did try Merlin's patience, and this was one of those times: "You think you're so clever….."

There was a moment's pause and then both suddenly moved at the same time – Arthur to stand and fumble for another projectile from the fruit bowl, Merlin to move to a different part of the room. They both froze again at the same time. As Merlin tried to keep absolutely still and not make a sound, Arthur stood with the apple in his hand, ready to throw it at Merlin as soon as he gave away where he was. There was a silent pause, and then Arthur taunted him in a sing-song voice, "I know you're still there….!"

As Arthur continued listening intently for any sounds of movement, Merlin's eyes flashed gold, and with the palms of his hands turned towards the floor, he gently and silently levitated himself to move away. There was, of course, one benefit to Merlin of Arthur's blindness - using magic without him seeing. It was probably just as well that Arthur couldn't see the smug look of satisfaction on his servant's face – although the expression was replaced very quickly by a look of surprise when Merlin floated into a chair that he hadn't noticed. The look of surprise was, in turn, replaced by a look of pain as the apple found its target with perfect precision and Merlin crashed to the ground. It took every bit of effort Merlin could muster not to cry out in pain and give Arthur the satisfaction of knowing he'd scored another direct hit. But all he got for his efforts was Arthur's comment, "Admit it, that hit you too, didn't it?"

And Merlin just looked annoyed.

~~~ o ~~~

Eventually, however, Merlin did begin to carve out time to start experimenting, even if his sleep suffered as a result. He was so engrossed in his efforts one evening that he suggested that Gaius sleep in his room that night, so that he wouldn't be disturbed by Merlin staying up late. And so it was that when Gaius awoke the following morning and came through the door from Merlin's room, he found the warlock sitting at the table, with his chin resting on his clasped hands which, together with his elbows and forearms, were flat on the table. Merlin was motionless and was staring at a small model of some bizarre creature that was on the same level as his eyes on the table in front of him – at least that's how it looked to Gaius…. until the model moved.

"What in heaven's name….?" exclaimed the older man as he peered more closely at the strange winged animal which seemed to be lolloping around the table, prodding the tiny horn on the top of its head into anything near it on the table that looked threatening – including Merlin's hand.

"Ow!"

Gaius gave a sigh of what sounded suspiciously like weary resignation, and then folded his arms, fixed his gaze on Merlin, and said "Merlin – I know I'm going to regret asking this, but… what one earth is that?"

"I call it a grifficorn….. or a unigriff. I haven't quite decided…."

"Do I take it from that, Merlin, that this is one of the results of your experimentation?"

The creature at this point tried to get airborne on its wings, but it was clear that its bodyweight was too great for the size of its wings, and it ended up crash landing on the floor, where it immediately began to scuttle round.

Merlin looked quite pleased with himself and was clearly excited as he started his explanation. "Yes, it's got the head of a unicorn and the wings of a griffin….."

"….. and I take it, the body of a rat."

"Well, yes. I had to start somewhere."

"Merlin - for someone who objects to hunting on the grounds that it inflicts unnecessary suffering on defenceless creatures, I do find your actions a little surprising."

"It's a rat, Gaius – well, it was a rat. It probably would have ended up with a worse fate. I'm actually doing it a favour, turning it from vermin into…."

He was momentarily stumped as to how he should describe it, so Gaius finished the sentence for him: "…. flying vermin with a horn – except I'm not too sure about the _flying_ bit."

Merlin conceded "Yes, that bit wasn't terribly successful."

He wasn't going to be deterred, however, by this limited early success. "It really is extraordinary, Gaius, coming up with new spells. It's like cooking and making up a new recipe, using ingredients that you've used before….."

"Yes, and we all know what happens whenever you try out one of your new recipes on Arthur – _recipe for disaster _is how I would describe it."

Merlin paused as he remembered one particularly unpleasant occasion when he'd had to clean up the remnants of one of his creations after Arthur had taken one mouthful of it and then rapidly spat it out into the bowl again, before exclaiming, "Are you trying to poison me, or something?!" Arthur had then added, "Actually, maybe there _is_ something that this will be useful for: decreasing the rat population!" And with that he had deliberately dropped the bowl and its contents from a height that was sufficiently great to ensure that the bowl shattered on impact with the floor, spreading the concoction inside liberally across the room.

Merlin still wasn't put off, however: "But this sort of thing can only be done by trial and error, Gaius…."

"And _that,_" said Gaius, pointedly looking at the poor creature that was half scuttling, half flying around the room, "is quite clearly one of the errors."

"Granted, creating the right spell may involve….. a few wrong turns along the way – but that's how I'll learn!"

"And this is how you're going to find the spell that will heal Arthur?"

"Yes, precisely!"

"By turning rats into… _that?"_

"Yes! Well… not exactly. But I'm trying to learn the principles of it all and how it works before I start on the spell for Arthur."

Gaius shook his head slowly and looked rather sceptically at the young warlock. "Just warn me when you're next experimenting, Merlin."

And Merlin just grinned.

But experimental spells were not the only danger that lay ahead for Arthur. Morgana had also been at work….

_**Author's note**_

_**I would just like to assure readers that no creatures, real or otherwise, were harmed in the writing of this chapter. Apologies to those who are strongly opposed to medieval vivisection...**_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Although Arthur couldn't see Merlin yawning, he could hear it.

"Keeping you up, am I?" he asked drily.

"Sorry, sire," said Merlin as he set breakfast down on the table, although the word _sire_ ended up somewhat distorted by yet another loud yawn. "Didn't get much sleep last night."

"Been spending the hours of darkness down the tavern again, have we?"

Merlin inwardly cursed Gaius yet again for the time he'd put Merlin's non-appearance down to him being at the Rising Sun. It had recently become Arthur's favourite explanation for any strange behaviour on Merlin's part.

"No, just doing….. stuff." Merlin realised, of course, that he could hardly confess to Arthur that the reason he'd had so little sleep was that he'd been practicing magic on rodents. And even if there hadn't been magic involved, mentioning rats to Arthur was never a good move – it always evoked unfortunate memories of the time Merlin had tried to serve up rat stew to his master.

But before Arthur had the opportunity to question Merlin as to the exact nature of this _stuff, _there was a light tap on the door, and Arthur turned his head towards the direction of the sound. Although his eyes were blinded and covered by the black band, effectively closing the window on his soul, the rest of his body language still managed to convey perfectly his sudden sense of anticipation. Guinevere always had the ability to quicken his heart whenever she walked into the room – and he was not disappointed.

"Good morning, Arthur."

"Guinevere!"

Merlin smiled as he saw both of their faces light up in each other's presence. He'd watched their love not only grow and blossom, but also face challenges – on both sides – that had threatened to rip them apart. And he'd seen their love overcome each and every obstacle. Although Uther was unlikely ever to give his approval to their relationship, Arthur's blindness did at least give the perfect reason for the serving girl to have a greater involvement in his life, with his new needs and the greater burden on Merlin. When Arthur had innocently asked Morgana whether it would be alright for him to "borrow" Guinevere to help him at some of his mealtimes, adding under his breath, _you know how I feel about her, _she'd had no option other than to agree to it, and a small smile of satisfaction had crept onto Merlin's face as he watched Morgana squirm as she tried to make her reply sound gracious and generous – the reality being anything but that.

"You won't be needing me for a while then, sire?"

"It seems that your tiredness hasn't, at least, blighted your ability to think sensibly for once, Merlin."

"I'll take that as a _no_ then."

Arthur just nodded and smiled as he felt a small, gentle hand on his shoulder, and added condescendingly "Run along then, Merlin, and find something useful to do."

And so a few minutes later, Merlin was walking back into Gaius's rooms, torn between two equally attractive but mutually exclusive versions of usefulness – experimenting or sleeping. But even as the words _now, where did that rat go? _ were muttered by him, it was the latter of the two options whose attraction became irresistible.

~~~ o ~~~

He'd only intended to have a 5 minute nap, but knew when he woke up that he'd slept much longer than that. He wasn't sure how long Arthur had been sending him off for, but past experience told him that whatever he thought the answer to that would be, he would, almost invariably, have got it wrong. Merlin hurried along the corridor towards Arthur's room, but as he approached it, he heard with horror a loud scream that caused him to break into a run. And he didn't have to be told who the scream had come from: Guinevere.

The scene that greeted him was not, however, anything that he'd expected. Gwen was standing in the middle of the room, eyes wide with fear, with Arthur's sword in her hand, raised seemingly against some invisible foe. Arthur was standing, looking utterly helpless, unable to intervene in whatever was happening. Merlin was stopped in his tracks and looked at each of them in turn with a look of bewilderment on his face. "What's going on?"

It was Gwen who had to answer: "There was this thing…."

"_Thing?"_ replied Merlin, the look of bewilderment, if anything, growing on his face.

"Guinevere said that she saw some sort of strange creature running across the floor,"interjected Arthur, wanting to have at least some useful part to play in the proceedings.

"It wasn't exactly running," continued Gwen, "more – " but before she had time to answer, she pointed and cried out, "LOOK! There it is!" as Merlin's creature half scuttled and half flew between the spaces under Arthur's bed and a wardrobe.

Merlin realised that any hope of being able to tell Gwen that it was probably only a rat had just evaporated. "Ah – that would be a graticorn." (He had, shortly after his conversation with Gaius, come up with a third possible name for the unfortunate creature.)

"A WHAT?" Both Arthur and Gwen asked the question in unison, Gwen with a look of utter disbelief on her face that was matched by Arthur's mouth curling up at one side, perfectly conveying his scepticism.

"It's, er, a rare creature - a very rare creature - that, um, looks a bit like a rat, but which has wings…. and a small horn. It doesn't usually, um, live around here, but….. er…. there's been a recent infestation, well… more of a _sighting,_ really, of one of them in the lower town. And, um, they're perfectly harmless, and nothing to worry about."

Arthur's lip curled up even higher. "I've never heard such rubbish in the whole of my life!"

"Gaius told me," lied Merlin – his usual ploy to achieve at least some degree of credibility.

"And are you sure it's perfectly safe?" queried Gwen in a slightly anxious voice, as she slowly lowered the sword.

"Oh yes," nodded Merlin vigorously. "Don't worry, I'll deal with it later," he continued cheerily, already plotting how he would use magic to apprehend it, once Gwen was safely out of the way.

Gwen's expression showed that she wasn't entirely ready to trust all that Merlin told her, but she slowly walked over to the cabinet and laid Arthur's sword back down.

Arthur felt his way back to the table and his chair and sat down, saying quietly, "Thank you, as ever, for your help Guinevere. That'll be all."

There was something in his tone that made Gwen and Merlin exchange a concerned glance, but all Gwen could do was say in response, "I'll be back later," before squeezing his shoulder once more and then walking to the door, closing it behind her. Merlin set about clearing up the plates and dishes, but kept looking over at Arthur, who had suddenly gone very quiet. Eventually Merlin voiced his question: "What's the matter, Arthur?"

Arthur sat silently, but just when Merlin thought he wasn't going to answer, he finally said, "I couldn't do anything to protect her.

Merlin answered him gently and with a little smile, "It was only a harmless animal, Arthur!"

"Yes, but what if it hadn't been? What if it had been someone or something trying to harm her?" Once again, there was pain in Arthur's questions, and Merlin knew that once again his blindness was making the prince feel impotent. "I should be able to take care of her and keep her safe."

Merlin was quiet for a while, and then decided that no assurance that he could give would make Arthur feel any better – apart from the one that would get the predictable response and lighten the mood. So he gave it.

"But don't forget Arthur – you've got me by your side to help you."

Arthur was quiet for a moment, before a little smile came to his lips again; Merlin's joking tone had done the trick.

"Fat lot of good that will be! Guinevere will end up having to save both of us."

"Well, she did look pretty nifty with your sword!"

Arthur smiled, but Merlin could tell that the sadness was still there underneath and, once again, it did one thing and one thing only – it strengthened his resolve to give Arthur back his sight.

~~~ o ~~~

Morgana had thought about her plan carefully. She'd watched Arthur closely over the days since his blinding, and saw the pattern that he'd fallen into. She knew that every day he was back in his chambers late afternoon, but she also knew that if an attempt on Arthur's life was to be sure of succeeding, then Merlin would have to be out of the way. She knew she couldn't send him on some sort of errand herself – he already suspected her intentions to harm Arthur, and would only expect that something was up if she approached him directly. _No, it would have to be done subtly and indirectly….._

~~~ o ~~~

"Come!"

Gaius opened the door in response to Arthur's voice from inside. He found, as he had expected, Merlin there with the prince, busying himself with sorting out his room and his affairs as Arthur rested.

"It's Gaius, your highness."

"Gaius! What can I do for you?"

"Well, it's actually Merlin I'm looking for, my lord - I need his assistance. There's been a breakout of an unidentified illness in the lower town, and I'm not going to be able to deal with it all myself. Would I be able to borrow Merlin from you for a while? – his skills will help me greatly."

Arthur was always slightly surprised to hear about Merlin having any skills that were of use to anybody. He knew, however, how much Merlin meant to the elderly physician, and so refrained – for once – from making a wry comment about the placing together of the words _Merlin _and _skills_ in the same sentence. Instead, he simply said, "Be my guest, Gaius," and then laid back in his chair for an afternoon nap.

But as the two men left the room together, someone else who was well hidden was watching them. A smile of satisfaction came to Morgana's face as she followed them with her eyes until they disappeared around the corner at the end of the corridor. And with Merlin out of the way, all that remained was to put the final pieces of her plan into place: ensuring that any guards were in a different part of the citadel and escorting in the men that Morgause had hired along a route where no-one would see them.

~~~ o ~~~

Gaius was examining his tenth patient when Merlin re-joined him. "What have you found?"

Merlin shrugged his shoulders slightly before answering. "Each of the cases I've seen is exactly like that first one we saw – rash, raised temperature, profuse sweating. No serious danger, but the symptoms all suddenly appearing around noon today."

Gaius nodded slowly, and said to the anxious husband who was standing near his sick wife, "There's no real cause for concern, Tom. I believe that the fever is not one that is life threatening. All being well, Helena should be on her feet again soon." The man's demeanour relaxed into one of relief: "Thank you, Gaius!" But Merlin saw something on the physician's face that left him with a question which he posed as soon as they were out in the sunshine once again and out of earshot of anyone.

"What is it Gaius? There's something you weren't saying back there, wasn't there?"

Gaius looked around him, before lowering his voice to reply.

"I don't understand it, Merlin. I'm sure that none of the patients are in any real danger, but….." His voice trailed off.

"But what, Gaius?" There was an insistence in Merlin's voice – he knew his elderly mentor too well, and he knew when there was something that was troubling him.

"It's strange. With an outbreak of an illness with these sorts of symptoms, there's usually one case first, then other cases that follow on and multiply as time goes by….."

Merlin knew in an instant where Gaius was going. "But these all appeared at exactly the same time."

"Precisely. That isn't how outbreaks of such diseases normally occur."

Merlin lowered his voice. "Do you think that sorcery is involved, then?"

"I do, Merlin."

"And could it be Morgana?"

"I don't know of anyone else in Camelot who could do this. But that's what I don't understand. The illness, although debilitating, doesn't seem to be a life-threatening one. If Morgana was causing such an illness using magic, what would be the purpose? Surely it would just be a waste of her time and effort."

"And ours!" But even as he said the words, the penny dropped, and the confused look on Merlin's face melted into one of fear. "Arthur!" And without saying another word, he dropped the bag of medical supplies he'd been carrying for Gaius, and started running as fast as he could through the streets of the lower town and back towards the Citadel.

~~~ o ~~~

Arthur stirred as he heard the door open. "Merlin, you're back!"

When he didn't get an immediate reply, he added, "How bad was the outbreak – are any lives in danger?"

"Only yours."

The sound of the unfamiliar voice and the words that were said made Arthur's blood suddenly run cold, and he rose immediately to his feet. "Who's there?"

But instead of a reply he heard the unmistakeable sound of a sword being drawn out of its scabbard, and he knew that his life depended upon him acting quickly. He turned and desperately hoped that Gwen had returned the sword that morning to where Merlin had left it. _Sword, north-west. _He lunged for it, crashing into the cabinet and sending helmets flying as he did so – but he found his sword and his hand quickly found the hilt. He grabbed it and turned back in the direction of his unknown assailant, shouting as he did, "GUARDS!"

A soft, mocking voice replied to his cry, "Oh, you can save your breath, Prince Arthur. There aren't any guards within a hundred paces of this room. That's been taken care of."

Arthur held his sword towards the direction of the attacker, but his heart began to pound even more rapidly when he heard the sound of a second sword being unsheathed. His head suddenly jerked round to where the noise had come from. Another unfamiliar voice mocked him. "That's right! Two of us! I'd say that you have a less than a minute to live."

"If that!" added the other voice.

But then Arthur did something that neither of them expected. He suddenly reached down and with his free hand yanked off both boots in quick succession and then flung them in the rough directions of the attackers.

Morgana's two men easily dodged the boots and both laughed out loud.

"Is that the best you've got – boots?!"

But using them as weapons was not the reason why Arthur had removed them. He now stood, sword raised and poised like a crouching cat, leaning forward and straining to hear any noises from his assailants. Without his boots, he could move barefoot and noiselessly, and concentrate on following his opponents by the sounds they were making as they moved.

It was not the first time that Arthur had fought unsighted. He had previously, in some training sessions, fought with a blindfold on. Then it had been mainly an exercise in trying to anticipate where blows would come from – and an exercise in vanity to show off his skills. This was anything but that – he was fighting for his life

He heard the deliberate strides towards him and felt the slight rush of air of a sword being brought towards him. Speed of reaction had always been one of his strong points and the reason that he had often defeated swordsmen of greater build and strength than himself. He swung his sword up, heart pounding, and there was a tiny moment of relief when he both felt and heard his blade make contact with that of the other man. He knew how nine out of ten swordsmen would follow a parried blow like the one he'd just given. The one out of ten swordsmen - men like Lancelot and Gwaine – would do something less predictable, but Arthur was guessing (and desperately hoping) that these were neither a Lancelot nor a Gwaine, and he made to parry the stroke that he would expect, and felt his blade strike metal for a second time. Hearing the second set of footsteps and more out of instinct than knowledge, he then made a swift and wide sweep with his sword in the opposite direction. His sword met resistance once again, but this time it wasn't metal, and he heard a loud cry followed, after a moment or two, by a heavy thud and the sound of metal clattering on the floor. He whipped back around to where he hoped the first swordsman still was and made two more swift sweeps with his sword, but this time he found only air. He heard the footsteps moving to one side, and knew that the other man was beginning to circle round him. Arthur followed the sound around with his body, sword poised and ready to react.

~~~ o ~~~

Merlin had never run so fast in his life. Even when he and Arthur had been chased by bandits, there had been moments to pause and catch their breath. This time, Merlin just ran and ran – and it was running uphill all the way. He could barely breathe by the time he'd reached the steps by the statue outside the main doors into the citadel, but somehow he still managed to take the steps two at a time, and then do the same with set of stairs inside and to the left of the doors. He hurtled along the corridors, and the only time he came anywhere near to slowing down was when he suddenly saw Morgana standing near the corner that led into the corridor that went to Arthur's rooms. Their eyes met for a moment, and Merlin saw the surprise and something between fear and anger in her eyes, and he was sure that if it hadn't been for the passing servant that she was having to engage in conversation at that moment, she would have hurled him back against the nearest wall with her magic without a second thought. As he ran past her and into the corridor leading to Arthur's room he heard the unmistakeable sound of the clash of swords, and his heart skipped a beat.

~~~ o ~~~

The hired assassin – unmasked because there had been little point in hiding his identity from a blind man whom he was going to kill – had traded several blows with Arthur. He knew he would be paid good money for the prince's death, but suddenly risking his life for the sake of gold seemed less attractive, especially as his partner was lying dead on the floor and Arthur had already inflicted a cut on his own body. He'd been assured it would be a quick and easy kill, but with every parried blow, his chances seemed slimmer against the blind prince. As he and Arthur moved around slowly in a circle, he became less sure of who was circling whom, and so he decided to cut his losses and make a run for it. But several things then happened all at once. The sounds suddenly became very confused to Arthur – there was not only the sound of his assailant's feet moving, but the sound of other quick footsteps outside and the door being opened, possibly by an accomplice. So Arthur did several things in quick succession – he transferred his sword to his left hand and pulled out the dagger he kept by his waist and threw it in the direction he thought the sounds were coming from (and his practice on Merlin paid off); without pausing to discover whether it had found its target he then lunged for the table where he suspected the remnants of his lunch still were and he grabbed the knife he found there; and finally he hurled it towards the sounds he was still hearing.

The sight that greeted Merlin as he threw open the door was an unexpected one: one man lying - presumably dead - on the floor; another in the process of keeling over with a dagger in his back, and Arthur's hand stretched out towards where Merlin was standing with the knife that had just left his hand travelling directly towards him. It was, of course, Merlin's ability to slow down the flow of time that enabled him to take this all in before the knife made contact with his chest. A quick flash of his eyes and the knife flew away to the right, clattering harmlessly into the stone wall. Merlin paused for a moment in astonishment, before announcing, "You missed!"

Arthur immediately relaxed: "Merlin!" and sighed with relief.

_**Author's Note**_

_**Remember the blindfold swordfighting that Arthur did in 3.01?**_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Uther looked at his son, looked down at the bodies of the two men which were still lying on the floor, and then back up at his son again.

"And _you_ did all this?"

Arthur may not have been able to see the incredulity on Uther's face, but he could certainly hear it in his voice. "Don't sound so surprised, Father. I may have lost my eyes, but I still have two arms, two legs and two ears!"

"Yes, but even so…"

He paused as the half a dozen guards who were also present picked up the bodies and took them away.

Although Arthur was, on the outside, taking issue with his father's surprise at what he had been able to do, inwardly he couldn't help but feel pleased. He had lived his life trying to live up to his father's high standards and impress a man who was unused to giving praise – especially to his son. It was rare for him to feel that he had actually exceeded his father's expectations of him, and even if – on this occasion – those expectations had been set low, it mattered little to Arthur, although he tried not to show his pleasure at his father's reaction.

Arthur would have felt even more pleased had he also seen Leon's expression which was similar to that of his father. But unlike Uther, Leon had a generous spirit. He had always been utterly loyal to and supportive of Arthur. They had grown up in Camelot together, and although Leon wasn't blind to Arthur's faults, the prince had earned his respect over the years, often when they had fought alongside each other in battle. And in return Leon gave Arthur his undivided allegiance. Although Uther had his obedience, it was Uther's son who had Leon's devotion – and Leon would make sure, that evening, that all the knights and guards under Arthur's command would hear the story of their captain's exploits that day. But before Leon could do that, he had to answer to the king – and the king wasn't happy.

"How is it that two armed strangers could get into the citadel unnoticed and unchallenged?" Leon wasn't, however, the only one who was uncomfortable with the question. Morgana as well as Merlin was also in the room. She made sure she was present as soon as she heard that her plans had been thwarted, wanting to hear what was being said and to ensure that Merlin didn't implicate her in what had happened. She looked anxiously at Leon, waiting to hear what he had to say, and Merlin didn't miss her worried glance in his direction.

"I don't know, my lord. As far as I know all the guards were at their usual positions earlier."

Uther fixed him with a stare: "Are you sure?"

Leon swallowed nervously. "I… er…. can't be completely certain at this point, your majesty. I haven't had a proper opportunity to investigate this more thoroughly yet."

The king put his hands on his waist as he began to pace around. "Well I want each guard questioned, and if any of them were not at their posts they will pay dearly for their lapse!"

Leon nodded and was eager to avoid any other awkward questions from the king. "If you will allow me, my lord, I will look into it straight away."

Uther nodded his approval, "Very well."

And Leon hurried away to do the king's bidding before he changed his mind.

Morgana breathed a small, imperceptible sigh of relief: _at least no one seemed to know anything about the help she'd given the assassins to gain entry to the citadel._

Uther continued to pace around as Arthur's head followed the direction of the sound of his feet. He looked back at his son again. "We will have to ensure that nothing like this can happen again. You will have a guard placed on your door day and night!"

"Father!" Arthur didn't make any attempt to hide the exasperation in his voice: "That really isn't necessary."

"You could have lost your life this afternoon, Arthur, and I will not have you put at risk again!"

"But surely, Father, I've shown that I'm perfectly capable of defending myself. I don't want to be treated as if I'm some helpless child."

Arthur's reasons for not wanting guards on the door were, however, less about his security and more to do with privacy and with Guinevere being able to come and go freely. Uther was still looking unconvinced and about to overrule his son when Morgana came to his rescue.

"Arthur's right, my lord. Those who wanted to harm him clearly underestimated his capabilities -"

_Yes, they did, didn't they? _thought Merlin as he regarded her with suspicion.

"- but if you still feel concerned, sire, why not put extra guards on the entrances to the citadel? Leon may not be able to uncover it, but surely those men got in because of a lapse of vigilance of one of the sentries. If you increase the guards on the entrances then surely that will be sufficient?"

Whilst Arthur was grateful for her intervention, Merlin could only think that she wanted to try again, maybe with more men the next time. But she had succeeded with her argument and Uther capitulated. "Very well."

"And shall I have the pleasure of the company of you and Morgana at supper, father?"

Uther again looked surprised. Arthur hadn't eaten with them since it had all happened, and once again, it gave Arthur a sense of satisfaction to hear the note of surprise in his father's voice. "Yes….. yes, of course. We will be delighted to have you join us."

And with that, Uther gave a nod and a curt, "Arthur" and swept out of the room, followed by Morgana who shot a backwards glance at the other two as she walked out through the door. Merlin worried about what was going through her mind, and made a mental note to complete his experimentation as soon as he possibly could. But before he could think further about this, Arthur called him over as soon as he was sure that the retreating footsteps were far enough away to be out of earshot.

"Merlin?"

"Here, sire."

"Just make sure that the kitchens serve up something that I'm not going to spill all over myself tonight – no stew, no soup, no slop."

But before they had time to discuss the merits of various cuisine further, there was a light tap on the door and Gwen crept in. News had travelled fast about the attempt on Arthur's life, and Gwen had hovered anxiously out of sight near his chambers, waiting for the king to leave.

"Arthur – are you alright? Leon told me what happened!" Before he could answer, she added anxiously, "Were you hurt at all?"

"Not a scratch."

When she just looked at him in amazement, not saying anything, Arthur cocked his head slightly and when the silence continued asked with amusement, "Are you still there?"

She beamed at him, "Yes, of course I am! I'm so proud of you, Arthur."

It would be fair to say that it would have been difficult for Arthur's heart to swell more than it did when he heard those words from her mouth.

He grinned back at her, "Well, let's just say I'm glad it wasn't a….. what did you say that rat thing was called again Merlin?"

"A graticorn, sire."

"Because if it had been one of those I would have been in real trouble, and I might have needed saving by someone….." He moved closer to where her voice had come from and put his hands out as he did so, which she took as the cue to place herself in those hands. He continued, "….. someone who I understand is very – " there was a pause as he tried to remember how Merlin had described her.

"_nifty" _ Merlin helpfully interjected.

"Ah yes, _nifty_ with my sword!"

Gwen laughed and stretched her arms up and around Arthur's neck as she did so, and his slid around her waist. Arthur turned his head away and opened his mouth to speak, but Merlin was already moving.

"Just on my way sire…. to wash your dirty socks."

Arthur shook his head almost imperceptibly and gave an exasperated little huff as he turned his face back towards Gwen. _Merlin certainly knew how to ruin a romantic moment._

Gwen laughed again at Arthur's expression, and called over to Merlin as he was about to go out of the door, "Have fun!"

Merlin paused in the doorway, "Oh, I will. And let me tell you, it's nowhere near as bad as washing his – "

"MERLIN!" yelled Arthur.

But Merlin and Gwen just grinned at each other as Merlin left them and closed the door behind him.

The young couple stood quite content in each other's arms for several moments, and Arthur smiled down at the woman he loved.

Gwen's face lit up. "I'm smiling back."

Arthur gave a little laugh at her helpful commentary, but then paused, and Gwen could see that there was something going through his mind, and she rested her head against his chest as she waited for him to speak.

"You know, Guinevere, you did save my life. If it wasn't for you, I'm not sure I would have cared if they'd succeeded in killing me today, and I certainly wouldn't have been able to fight back as I did if it wasn't for you and Merlin helping me in the way you have….. thank you."

She pulled her head off his chest and looked up at him, and ran her fingers through his hair so that he knew she was looking up at him. He planted a kiss clumsily on her face – not exactly on her lips but not too far off either. But he felt her pull away – she had something to say to him.

"And…. are you going to thank Merlin too?"

He could tell from the playful tone in her voice that he was on the receiving end of a gentle dig from her. Gwen knew better than anyone – possibly better than Arthur and Merlin knew themselves – how much the two men valued each other, but also how unwilling they both were to admit it, especially to each other. And Gwen also knew how good Arthur was at giving Merlin a hard time, and how bad he was at expressing his gratitude to his servant.

Arthur moved his head from side to side, as if weighing it up, and then gave a little nod. "Yes! Definitely…. some time or other….. eventually."

He lent forwards to kiss her again, but once again felt her pulling away slightly.

"Don't think you can change the subject that easily, Arthur Pendragon!"

A little wry smile came to his face as he raised his eyebrows. "Is that a challenge?"

"No!" she laughed, "but if you think you can avoid the issue by – "

But she never got to finish her sentence, as Arthur's hand moved from her waist up her back to her neck and pulled her head gently towards his, his lips finding hers perfectly this time. And any thoughts of Merlin suddenly evaporated from her mind.

~~~ o ~~~

Having to guide Arthur to supper with the king and Morgana, give his normal commentary and then stand waiting as they all talked together after the meal somewhat interrupted and delayed Merlin's progress on his spells. And when, much later, he had finally guided the prince back to his rooms, put him to bed, and then returned to Gaius's chambers, he threw himself with a new vigour back into his research. Gaius watched him with a mixture of admiration and trepidation, but in the end had to leave the warlock to his experimentations as the pull of sleep finally proved too great for the older man.

"I assume I'll be taking your bed again tonight then?"

Merlin glanced up briefly before looking down at his books again, "Thanks, Gaius!"

"And Merlin…."

The young man paused and looked questioningly up at his mentor.

"Try to get at least some sleep tonight – and please try not to cause so much havoc this time!"

Merlin just grinned back; "Sleep well!"

But the night proved to be another long one, and it was only shortly before dawn that Merlin finally allowed himself to lay his head down on a pillow. Not that he slept, however. Perfecting his spell was one thing – how he was going to put it into practice was another thing entirely.

When Gaius finally emerged from the small bedroom with the light of morning streaming into the room, Merlin almost immediately propped himself up on his elbow so that he could see his mentor. "I've done it, Gaius!"

The physician, for all his concerns about Merlin's 'research', still had unfailing confidence in his magical abilities, and so as Merlin pulled himself up from the bed and over to the table, Gaius hurried across to join him there.

"It works, Gaius! Every time!"

Gaius, however, wanted a little more detail and a little more proof, and he asked slowly "Works on…?"

Merlin understood what Gaius was implying, but couldn't bring himself to actual voice the word, _rats_.

"Look, every one of them is fine! I used the curse, then I used the spell that I've devised, and every time their sight was restored. It works!"

"… on rats."

"Yes!"

"And this is the spell you're going to use on Arthur?"

Merlin's voice had lost a certain amount of its confidence when he replied, "Yes."

"Merlin – "

"I know what you're going to say, Gaius, but there's no reason to think that it won't work on Arthur. If the curse works on them AND the cure, then why shouldn't it work on others?"

"I won't even begin to answer that question, Merlin!"

"And besides…." Merlin's voice trailed off, and Gauis got the distinct impression that the young man was about to say something that he knew was likely to get a reaction.

"Yes?"

"It didn't do me any harm when I used the spell on myself."

"Merlin!"

"It was fine, Gaius! I mean, I _did_ think first about using the curse on myself before trying out the – "

"MERLIN!"

The young sorcerer adopted his best soothing tone: "But I didn't! Gaius, it's all fine – "

"Yes, but what if something had gone wrong with your spell? Who would have sorted it out then?"

Merlin sighed, and when he spoke again his tone was softer. "Gaius, I had to at least make sure that the magic I've devised wasn't going to cause any harm on a person before I used it on Arthur – and I wasn't going to try it on you. I now know that it won't _harm_ him, and I have every hope that it will heal him."

Gaius relented and sighed. "I do understand, Merlin. And you say the spell works every time you've used it on blindness."

"Yes…."

Gaius could tell, however, that there was something Merlin wasn't telling him, and offered, "But….?"

"There is a slight practical problem."

"Which is…..?"

"I've only ever got the spell to work under one particular condition."

"Go on….."

"The spell has to be performed by me laying my hands on the blind eyes – with the eyes open."

Gaius immediately understood the implications of this. "In other words, Arthur needs to be awake."

Merlin sighed and nodded at the same time, and Gaius continued his line of thought. "Which isn't so much a problem when he's blind and can't see you but becomes a problem as soon as you heal him."

"Exactly."

Gaius thought for a moment. "Well how about somehow making it pitch black when you perform the spell so that Arthur still can't see you after his sight has been restored?"

"Gaius! How is that going to work?! Arthur is now a complete expert at finding his way around in total darkness. He single-handedly defeated two assailants without being able to see a thing! I trip over anything and everything in broad daylight! If it's pitch black, he won't realise I've healed him and he'll have me on the floor in two seconds!"

Gaius gave a little nod, "You have a point…."

"Several! And if that isn't bad enough, there's also the problem of Uther. He knows that Arthur would be willing to use magic to be healed, and has expressly forbidden it. If he thinks that Arthur has been complicit in it in any way, I'm not sure what he'd do, and I don't think I want to find out!"

Merlin looked down at the table and began fiddling with a small vial that Gaius had left there. "There must be a way….."

"Well, some food may definitely help your thinking. I'll get you some breakfast - let me know if you have any of your strokes of genius!"

Breakfast came and went, however, without any strokes of anything, and Merlin eventually had to rush off to help Arthur get up. Unfortunately, Merlin's preoccupation with the problem in hand meant that his mind was not fully on what he was doing. After accidentally steering Arthur into the bedpost, misplacing a cup of water so that Arthur knocked it over, and an unfortunate incident with a sausage, the prince finally exploded in exasperation, "MERLIN! What is _wrong_ with you this morning?"

"Sorry, sire, I was just thinking."

"Thinking! Now we really are in trouble!"

But eventually, during a particularly tedious training session that Arthur conducted alongside Leon, Merlin's thinking finally paid off – after a fashion.

~~~ o ~~~

"Gaius, I've worked it out!" Merlin had barely entered the room before the words were out of his mouth.

Gaius looked up from his beaker, in which some potion was slowly coming to the boil. He removed the hot beaker from above the flame with the cuff of his robe and took a seat opposite the one that Merlin had just occupied.

"It's simple! All I need to do it use the aging spell again."

For the second time that morning Gaius exploded with disbelief. "MERLIN! Are you mad? Have you forgotten what happened the last time you used that spell. You were almost burned at the stake!"

"It'll be fine this time, Gaius - you can prepare the antidote in advance! It's the perfect and only way for me to perform the magic in front of Arthur without him knowing it's me."

"Even if that is the case, how precisely are you going to perform the spell without getting killed first or arrested immediately after by Arthur?"

Merlin grinned and answered enthusiastically: "I've thought of that already! I can do it by drugging Arthur, tying him to his chair whilst he's unconscious, and then gagging him so that he can't call for help when he wakes. Then I can perform the spell without Arthur being able to do anything about it!"

Gaius looked at him in stunned silence with an expression on his face that conveyed perfectly his belief that Merlin had finally taken leave of his senses. All he could find to say eventually was, "They do say that the line between genius and madness is a very fine one."

But nothing could quell Merlin's excitement. "Everything will be fine Gaius! What can possibly go wrong?"

_**Author's note**_

_**As initially stated, this was written (as well as set) between series 3 and 4. Of course, at that stage Old Merlin had only been in action once. Of course, when series 4 came, the writers brought Old Merlin back again! And Gaius' reaction to Merlin's suggestion of using the aging spell again was very much like the one I'd imagined above! (It wasn't hard to predict!) **_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_**Author's Note**_

_**I had something of a dilemma as to how to refer to Merlin's elderly alter ego in the story. Calling him "Merlin" ran the risk of losing the picture in one's mind's eye of Dragoon – and the associated characteristics. Calling him Dragoon all the time ran the equal and opposite risk of dissociating him from Merlin. Neither did I want to call him Old!Merlin in the story. So I've compromised and freely exchanged the two names and other descriptions. I hope it isn't too confusing and that it works!**_

The first thing to go wrong occurred as Merlin embarked upon drugging Arthur. When Merlin had discovered that Gaius already had some of the antidote to the aging spell in a bottle – having prepared more than was needed the last time, and having kept the surplus _just in case_ – Merlin had been keen to put his plan into action straight away. Arthur did not have any particular plans for that afternoon, lunch had yet to be served, and Merlin figured that he would have an easy opportunity then to slip the drug into Arthur's water. All he would need to do was excuse himself and then add the potion just before he supposedly left, thereby "removing himself" before anything happened and thus covering his tracks. Then he could then wait quietly for Arthur to fall asleep, transform into "Dragoon the Great", bind Arthur as he slept and perform the spell when he awoke. Gaius had suggested the drug valerian, but that was as far as their conversation went, as they were then interrupted by someone needing Gaius's medical skills.

And so as Merlin put the tray down in front of Arthur and explained what was on it, he also added, "Gaius has, er, a few errands for me to run. If that will be all, sire?"

Arthur waved him away, "Yes, go! I'm fine. But check on the horses as well. I fancy going out for a ride later this afternoon."

"Yes, sire."

Merlin was actually grateful for another excuse that would, in theory, put himself somewhere other than Arthur's chambers for the time being. He smiled to himself and removed from his pocket the vial of valerian that he had taken from Gaius's supplies. _Adding a drug unseen to someone's drink had never been easier! _Until, however, it came to actually doing it, because it was at that moment that Merlin realised that he hadn't asked Gaius how much he should add – _one drop, a few drops, the whole vial?_ _Add too little and Arthur might just be a little drowsy, add too much and he might sleep until the following morning._ As Arthur began tucking into his chicken, Merlin knew he had to act fast as Arthur would be expecting to hear his footsteps straight away. He decided to go for _quite a few drops, _adding them quickly and silently, before walking towards the door and announcing a little too loudly, "I'm going now!"

Arthur paused, holding the piece of chicken motionless in mid-air, "Yes, I know. I may have lost my sight, but not my ability to remember that you asked to be excused less than a minute ago."

"Good, right, bye then."

Arthur went to take a bite of the chicken but paused once again, as he heard, "I'm just leaving!" and the sound of the door closing.

Arthur shook his head in slight bafflement at Merlin once again stating the blindingly obvious and - resigning himself to the fact that he would never to be able to fathom his servant's eccentricities -returned to the task (and the chicken) in hand.

Merlin stood silently by the door, having once again stayed inside Arthur's rooms, and watched him. It wasn't long before Arthur reached out cautiously for his goblet, and Merlin prayed that he wouldn't knock it over. Thankfully, his prayer was answered and the prince took a good long draught and set the goblet down again. He paused for a moment, and then began feeling on his plate for the chunk of fresh bread that Merlin had included in the meal. He managed to find it easily, and lifted it to his lips, but there it stayed for several moments as Arthur slowly cocked his head from one side to the other. He then lowered the bread extremely slowly, beginning to sway as he did, and then suddenly nose-dived into his chicken – and remained there, motionless.

Merlin was glad that Arthur hadn't asked for soup for his lunch, or there could have been a serious risk of drowning at that point. He hurried over to the table, but silently, not wanting to take any risks before he could be sure that Arthur was asleep. When he heard a muffled snore emerging from the chicken, he prodded Arthur, and when there was no response other than further snores, he lifted Arthur's head out of his lunch, removed a slice of tomato from his cheek, and set about putting his plan into action. He dragged Arthur in his chair – with the help of a little magic – over to near his bed, so that he was away from and out of sight of the door. He then went back and picked up the ropes, gag and clothes that he brought with him and left near the door, and set about restraining Arthur and silencing him as he slept. Words of magic followed, adding fifty years to his own age, and finally - with the addition of a deep red robe - he was, once again, Dragoon the Great – and he felt it!

As it turned out, _quite a few drops_ was a few too many. Merlin started off sitting and twiddling his thumbs waiting for Arthur to come round. When he got bored of that, the elderly warlock started wandering around the room and, simply to have something to do, he started lifting up helmets, jugs, ornaments and anything else that happened to be standing on a horizontal surface and dusted each top with one of Arthur's less clean shirts that he had magicked into flight from a pile in the corner. Merlin's attention to domestic detail had never been great, and not only had he not bothered putting the dirty shirts into the basket in which they normally resided (Arthur not being able to see that), he hadn't bothered doing any dusting in Arthur's chambers either. Not that dusting ever came anywhere above the lowest of priorities even when Arthur could see. Merlin remembered one particular occasion when Arthur had drawn his attention to the accumulation of dust in his chambers by drawing a face in a thick layer of it, using Merlin's nose. So, given that Arthur was shortly going to be seeing again, killing time by dusting seemed a reasonable activity, if only for the sake of his nose.

And when he got bored of dusting, he decided that it might be time to try to hasten Arthur's waking. He slapped him lightly on the cheek. When nothing happened, he slapped him slightly harder. Then he tried the other cheek, and then both cheeks at the same time. All he got for his efforts was another snore. So Merlin finally lowered his old and (by this time) slightly aching body back into a chair near Arthur's and continued to wait.

When Arthur finally awoke, the remnants of the effects of the drug were still in his system. Everything seemed very confused and very foggy to him to start with, and the first thing amiss that he was aware of was the gag in his mouth. That awareness suddenly jolted him back into being fully alert, and he made to move – and that was when he realised to his horror that both his wrists were bound to the arms of the chair, and his ankles to its legs. He knew that whatever was going on was NOT good, and that he was totally and utterly helpless, and if any other assassins were also in the room he would be able to do absolutely nothing if they chose to drive a dagger into his chest. Despite being gagged, he decided the only thing he could do was make as loud a sound as possible, and he prepared to yell as loudly as he could through his gag. He was stopped from doing so, however, when he heard something completely unexpected - the sound of rather loud snoring.

The fact was that Merlin had missed a considerable amount of sleep over the previous nights, and the afternoon drowsiness that he had felt on recent afternoons had been exacerbated by his considerable age. Sitting and listening to Arthur snoring gently had had a wonderfully soporific effect on Merlin's elderly alter ego, and _Dragoon_ had found himself easily drifting off into a very pleasant mid-afternoon nap.

Arthur cocked his head and listened intently – mystification having momentarily silenced his intended cry for help. When another loud snore erupted from his presumed captor, he moved his head around, trying to work out what on earth was going on. When no sane or reasonable explanation of events presented itself, he reverted to his original plan, and he took the deepest breath that the gag would allow, bit down on the thick material that was in his mouth and tied around his head, and let out the loudest muffled yell that was possible. Merlin's elderly wizard was awake in an instant and, realising that Arthur was finally awake and trying to summon help, he rose immediately to his feet, though a little too quickly for his elderly body and a gnarled old hand went instinctively to his back where a sudden ache had emanated from. Arthur heard a loud groan and then a cantankerous voice that sounded vaguely familiar.

"Shut up and stop making such a noise!"

Arthur froze at the sound of the voice, which then continued, "I'm not here to harm you. So be quiet so we can get on with it….."

Arthur paused, trying to once again make sense of the predicament that he found himself in. When an explanation that made any sense continued to evade him, he rapidly wracked his brain trying to place the voice of the old man who was standing nearby. And then the penny dropped.

"Dragoon the Great?"

At least, that's what Arthur tried to say through his gag. It came out, however, almost entirely incomprehensible.

Being drawn into any sort of exchange with Arthur had not been in Merlin's plans, and he was suddenly taken aback by Arthur's question. Not that he had any idea of what Arthur had just said, but the gag hadn't entirely obliterated the intonation in Arthur's voice, and the slight raise in pitch at the end of what Arthur had attempted to say made it clear to Merlin that the prince had just asked him something.

The cantankerous voice answered Arthur's question with another: "What?"

"Waaahhhhhhuuuhh hhuuuhh hhhuuuii?"

"What?"

It was at least clear to Merlin's elderly alter ego that Arthur had let out a big sigh through his gag before trying again, and although his third attempt at saying _Dragoon the Great_ was still incredibly muffled, Merlin finally figured out what he was trying to ask and answered, "Yes, now just be quiet."

Under the circumstances, however, that was the one thing that Arthur had no intention of doing – being just about the only thing that he _could_ do.

"Release me at once or you will pay dearly!"

However, Arthur's threat was even more incomprehensible to the elderly sorcerer than his previous three word question had been.

"What?"

Arthur's frustration at not being understood didn't help, however, and resulted in him saying exactly the same words but more quickly and even more incomprehensibly.

Merlin paused, and then increased Arthur's levels of frustration by once more simply asking back after a moment, "What?"

The prince took another deep breath, and as calmly, slowly and clearly as he could manage, just said the words, "Take this off," sticking his jaw out and giving a rapid shake of his head as he said the word _this, _and giving a quick thrust of his head to one side as he said the word _off._

This did, at least, have the desired effect of communicating the gist of what he was saying to _Dragoon._

The answer was not the one that Arthur wanted however.

"I can't take it off."

"Why?" This time the muffled one word question was accompanied by a deliberate cocking of the head to one side.

"Because you'll call for help."

"Won't." Arthur shook his head this time as he said it.

The white haired warlock looked at him intently for a few moments, and then finally conceded. "I know you're a man of your word. Give me your word that you won't cry out if I take off your gag."

Arthur repeated Merlin almost word for word, with the result that _I give you my word that I won't cry out if you take off the gag _was completely unintelligible.

"Was that it?"

Arthur simply nodded, and so Merlin somewhat reluctantly took off the gag. It didn't take the prince long to voice the question that was uppermost in his mind: "Why are you here?"

Arthur heard the elderly sorcerer reply, "I'm not here to do you any harm…..."

Despite the precarious and vulnerable situation he was in, Arthur didn't hide the tone of incredulity in his voice. "Do you really expect me to believe that? The last time we met you insulted me in front of the entire court. You said that I….. I….."

"….was a spoilt, arrogant brat with the brains of a donkey and the face of a toad!"

Merlin's perfect recall of the exchanges of that day was not exactly helpful under the circumstances, and Merlin didn't miss the sarcasm in Arthur's response.

"Precisely!"

The next words from the tetchy elderly sorcerer were more gently spoken however. "Well, some things needed to be said and insults need not mean that people are enemies. You of all people should know that, Arthur Pendragon."

A puzzled look came to Arthur's face as he tried to fathom the meaning in the sorcerer's words.

When there was no reply from the prince, _Dragoon_ continued: "I'm here to help you Arthur."

"So….. how exactly is being drugged and then tied up helping me?"

The elderly Merlin let out a slightly exasperated sigh. "For someone who is going to be king, you really are incredibly slow… Do you or do you not want to see again?"

Arthur replied in a voice that was both full of surprise and disbelief, "You're going to use magic to restore my sight?!"

"You've been told to fear magic by Uther, but he's the one who is really blind – blind to the truth that magic can be pure and good. Magic is a power, and a power which like your father's, can be wielded for good or for evil. It is not magic itself that needs to be feared – only those who seek to use it for evil ends. Your eyes will be proof to you of what you have never seen for yourself before: magic being used for good."

Arthur paused for a moment, hardly daring to believe that he was being offered hope.

"And you have a spell that can heal my eyes?"

"I believe so."

Arthur was not, however, filled with confidence when he received a reply that was something other than a straight, _yes, _and there was a sudden cautiousness in his response. "What do you mean_, I believe so_? You've used this spell to restore people's sight before?"

There was a moment's silence.

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean, _not exactly_?"

"I've restored sight."

"Of people?"

"Not strictly speaking."

Arthur's heart was beginning to sink, and Merlin decided that he just needed to say it and say it quickly in one breath.

"I've restored the sight of rats that have been blinded by a magical curse but the spell to restore their sight has worked every time."

Arthur decided to ignore the question of why someone had used magic to put a blinding curse on rats. What came out instead was; "RATS! YOU'RE GOING TO USE A SPELL ON ME THAT YOU'VE ONLY USED ON RATS BEFORE?!... OW!"

The clip round the ear that Merlin gave Arthur was accompanied by: "You gave me your word you wouldn't cry out!"

Merlin could see, however, that Arthur was suddenly becoming afraid of his magic and what it might do to him, and Arthur was only too well aware that his bindings left him utterly at the mercy of a sorcerer that he didn't trust. Arthur began to struggle wildly against the cords that bound him, and Merlin knew that he had to in some way gain Arthur's trust.

"The serving girl went free, didn't she?"

Arthur suddenly stopped. It had never, of course, occurred to him that the elderly sorcerer might have been deliberately acting to secure Guinevere's release, although in that moment he could not fathom why on earth he would have done that. And Merlin strategy, at least in some measure, paid off as Arthur's fear was forgotten for the moment. Any further discussion on the matter was, however, immediately halted when both of them heard the sound of the door to Arthur's chambers opening, and both of them froze. From where Merlin had positioned Arthur's seat, both of them were out of sight of the door, and he hissed to Arthur, "You gave your word…."

Gwen walked in with a pile of fresh laundry, and was momentarily puzzled by there being no sign of Arthur, even though half his lunch was still on a tray on the table. She paused, and with the linen still in her arms, called out his name.

Arthur's heart skipped a beat. Under the circumstances, Guinevere was the last person that he wanted to be in the vicinity of the sorcerer, even given the statement that he had made before she walked in. With deadly seriousness, he hissed back to _Dragoon_: "If you so much as lay a finger on her…"

And both of the men stayed absolutely quiet, hardly daring to breathe.

Gwen for her part, however, simply assumed that Arthur must be elsewhere, and she walked further into the room to put down the linen on a chest of drawers. Merlin's eyes glowed gold and Arthur's chair slowly began moving across the floor and away from the sound of Gwen's footsteps. Both Merlin and Arthur grimaced, however, when the chair began scrapping against the floor. The sound of the footsteps suddenly stopped.

"Arthur?"

This was followed by slower, more hesitant footsteps walking towards them and Arthur and _Dragoon_ both tensed up even more.

Gwen's face transformed in a moment from one of perplexity to horror as she finally came into view. "Arthur!" She looked at the bindings around him and turned to Merlin, demanding "What are you doing to him?!"

The elderly warlock spoke quickly and decisively. "If you value his welfare you will keep quiet and stay just where you are."

Gwen froze, and there followed several moments of silence as they all remained motionless – Merlin staring at Gwen, wondering what on earth to do; Gwen's gaze going rapidly back and forth between him and Arthur, wondering what on earth was going on; and Arthur turning his head this way and that, desperately hoping that Gwen was alright. After several moments of silence, Arthur couldn't stand it any longer: "What's happening?"

_Dragoon_ screwed up his nose: "Nothing….."

The silence continued for a moment or two more, and then Merlin finally let out an annoyed and impatient sigh. The only solution he could think of was to tie Gwen up and make her swear to keep quiet as well. He looked her in the eye and said in a slightly exasperated tone, "Just give me your word that you will not call out, and then I can do what I came for, and we can all go home and live happily ever after."

Arthur turned his head towards where he thought she was standing: "Just say yes."

Gwen, reassured at least in some small measure by Arthur's words, spoke somewhat hesitantly; "Yes…" and then added, "Arthur, what's going on?"

The aged Merlin gave another exasperated sigh, "I really haven't got time for long explanations!"

He addressed Gwen, pointing to the chair that he'd fallen asleep in, "Just sit down there."

Arthur had heard the worried tone in her voice, and tried once again to reassure her, "Guinevere - do what he tells you. It'll be alright."

Gwen sat down obediently in the chair, although never taking her eyes of the elderly sorcerer as she did so. As soon as she was seated, Merlin's eyes flashed gold and he performed a quick incantation that caused the arms of the chair to suddenly sprout tendrils that wrapped themselves around Gwen's wrists and bound her to the chair. Arthur stiffened as he heard words of magic being used.

He asked with a mixture of fear and suspicion, "What are you doing?"

Merlin answered, "I've just tied her to the chair, that's all."

That was not exactly the answer that Arthur wanted to hear, and he suddenly exploded: "I was beginning to think you might have some common decency! Why does she have to be tied up?!"

Merlin's elderly voice whined back, "Oh, stop complaining! At least you've got company now."

Arthur added sarcastically, "I suppose it never occurred to you to simply lock the door behind you when you came in."

From Gwen's perspective, provoking a highly suspicious and powerful sorcerer was not exactly the safest way to proceed, and she hissed, "Arthur!"

But it was too late. Merlin was annoyed - with himself for being so stupid and with Arthur for pointing it out, and so for a second time he gave Arthur a clip round the ear.

"Ow! What on earth was that for?!"

_Dragoon_ screwed up his nose once more: "For trying to be clever!"

Having made his point, he finally began to untie the knot at the back of the black band tied around Arthur's head. Arthur, however, eager as he was to be healed, also didn't want to risk another interruption that might jeopardise his healing, and so made a suggestion.

"Don't you think it might be a good idea to lock the door now, in case anyone else comes along – my servant, for example, as that is actually quite likely, given his spectacular talent for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

All it earned, however, was a third clip round to ear, causing the prince to protest loudly.

"OW! What was that for this time?

"You shouldn't be so critical of servants who do so much for you!"

Arthur was, however, relieved to hear _Dragoon's_ footsteps heading in the direction of the door, and in his brief absence Gwen quickly hissed, "Arthur, who is he and why has he tied us up?"

Arthur sighed. "Despite all appearances, I believe that for reasons I don't fully understand he's here to restore my sight…. by using magic."

Gwen hissed back again, "Then be nice to him!"

Any further conversation between them stopped as the sorcerer re-joined then, and Gwen decided that she would lead by example, and turned – as far as she was able whilst bound to the chair – to their captor. "You are right about how you should speak of servants."

As Dragoon went back to untying the black band, Arthur asked a genuine question: "And how is that you, a powerful sorcerer, have such a concern for the welfare of servants?"

"I have been a servant too – for a great man and a good man, though a pain at times. And you, Arthur Pendragon, are - although you may not recognise it at the moment - a servant also, to your people. In fact, you will be the greatest servant of all when you are king, because you will be responsible for the well-being of many.

Arthur was quiet for a few moments as he took in what had been said to him. As Merlin finally removed the sign of his blindness from around his eyes, Arthur simply said, "Your great age has brought you great wisdom, Sorcerer."

Merlin laughed in his elderly, cracked voice, and Arthur's face creased slightly in puzzlement, wondering what had been so funny about his words. The silence that followed, however, caused Arthur to tense slightly and become still.

The warlock spoke clearly and slowly: "Your eyes need to be open for me to perform the spell."

Arthur took a deep breath, tried to expel all thoughts of rats from his mind, and opened his eyes which were still as vacant and milky-looking as before. Merlin laid his hands over the open eyes, and uttered the spell that he had created and (hopefully) perfected, also trying not to think of rats as his eyes flashed gold. He held his breath as he removed his hand from Arthur's eyes – and then let it out in a long exhale as his eyes met Arthur's looking right back at him. Arthur let out the breath that he had also been holding, smiled, and glanced over at Gwen whose face became positively radiant as she found herself looking deeply into the eyes and soul of the man she loved. Arthur nodded to her and to himself.

For a moment, _Dragoon_ was more like Merlin, smiling at the joy of his friends. But then he snapped back into his more cantankerous and sarcastic alter-ego: "A simple _'thank you'_ will do!"

Arthur hesitated slightly, wondering whether he should show gratitude to a sorcerer, but it didn't take him long to decide that he would, and when he did, it was heart-felt.

"Thank you… and would it be possible to be untied now?"

The sorcerer's eyes met his: "Do you really want your father to think that you colluded in any way with this?"

Arthur's response was more pointed than angry. "So….. you're just going to leave us here like this?"

Merlin's elderly nose screwed up once more. "Oh, stop whining! You've got each other to talk to. Have a conversation about needlework or something!"

He then tried to drag Gwen's chair over to face Arthur's, but even though she was considerably lighter than Arthur, his elderly back complained again, and he reverted to a quick spell to propel her closer to Arthur, and they ended up with their knees almost touching. Merlin grinned to himself as he saw what he like to refer to as Arthur's 'love-sick puppy' look on the prince's face. He had once voiced that phrase out loud, but the clout that he had received from Arthur had made him vow never to repeat that mistake again. Instead, he contented himself with offering as his parting shot, "And remember: I still have both your promises that you will not call out. You will just have to wait until someone finds you."

And with that he swept out of the prince's chambers, leaving Gwen and Arthur exchanging looks of complete - but happy - mystification.

Merlin paused out in the corridor, not far from Arthur's rooms. He transformed rapidly back into his younger self and removed the red robe that concealed his own clothes. He then looked in the direction of the room, thought for a moment, grinned, and started hurrying off in the opposite direction.

~~~ o ~~~

Merlin burst through the door into Gaius' room smiling, the noisy entrance causing Gaius to look up from his place at the table where he was grinding herbs in a pestle and mortar. The elderly physician stopped what he was doing, put down the stone implements on the table, and the corners of his mouth turned up into a little smile as he said, "I trust that the absence of Camelot's warning bell together with the smile on your face means that you have been successful."

There was a little swagger in Merlin's walk as he approached the table and sat down opposite Gaius.

"Despite your misgivings, it went perfectly and according to plan! Well, almost…"

Gaius took a seat. "So Arthur's sight is restored without him knowing it was you?"

"Yes!"

"And where is he now?"

Merlin's rapidly spoken words were accompanied by an attempt at an innocent and matter-of-fact expression: "He's still tied up in his room."

His words were, however, met with a look of mild reproach and a slightly exasperated tone: "Merlin! He is the Prince. Why on earth didn't you go back and untie him when you'd changed back?"

Merlin began pleading with his mentor. "Gaius, you know that most of the time I'm a terrible liar, and I didn't trust myself to look surprised enough if I was the one to find him."

Gaius let out a small, resigned sigh and shook his head: "He's not going to be pleased with you…."

"I know, but it's going to be far easier if I see him when I've supposedly had the chance to hear about it already. He'll be fine!" He paused. "Besides, he's got Gwen to talk to."

Gaius looked at him in puzzlement: "Well if Gwen is there, why doesn't she untie him?"

Merlin rested his forehead on the table to avoid Gaius' eyes. "….. because she's tied up too."

Gaius exclaimed in total disbelief, "Merlin! There are times when I am truly lost for words!"

Merlin raised his head again and tried one last line of justification. "I'm sure they're not going to complain too much about having the chance to _'stare deeply into each other's eyes…_'"

Merlin and Gaius's eyes met, there was a moment's silence, and then both laughed loud and long.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Arthur had been expecting the council meeting that he guessed would almost inevitably be called the following morning. All the court had been fully aware that a witch's curse had blinded Arthur and also that his condition was incurable. They also now knew the recent news that had spread around Camelot like wild-fire the previous evening: that their prince could now - inexplicably - see again. The council chambers were packed with all the members who should be there, every courtier who didn't need to be there but who found an excuse to be so, and many servants who had also invented reasons for their services to be required in the chambers. Merlin stood with Gaius and Gwen over to one side, with the king seated at the end of the hall, Morgana on his left. His son's seat to his right was empty – hardly surprising given that Arthur was standing respectfully facing him, legs placed slightly apart, hands clasped behind his back, and with all the eyes of the court on him. It was only as he faced the imminent prospect of having to explain to the entire court what had happened, that Arthur realised with relief the wisdom there had been in the sorcerer's bizarre behaviour. Arthur also knew that with no other witnesses besides Gwen, he had a certain flexibility in recounting the recent events. As the whispered conversations around the room died down and the council chambers finally fell silent, Uther fixed his son with his gaze, gave him a little nod, and said, "You may begin."

Arthur took a deep breath. "The facts are easily recounted, my lord. The sorcerer who calls himself Dragoon the Great gained access to my room, having somehow slipped a potion into my cup – "

But before he could go any further his father interrupted him. "And how could that be? Your servant should surely have been even more vigilant than usual?" Uther cast Merlin a dirty glance, and the young warlock suddenly felt his mouth go rather dry.

Arthur shrugged. "Merlin's vigilance and attention to detail haven't always, er, been what they could be…."

As Arthur also glanced over in Merlin's direction, he caught Gwen's eyes. Her finger was rather pointedly grasping her ear as a reminder of the clip round the ear he'd received when criticising servants. Her action wasn't lost on him, and he so he hurriedly added, "…. although it has to be said that Merlin's general level is service is exceptionally –"

He paused as he searched for the right word: "- adequate. But Merlin can scarcely be blamed, sire – who knows what tricks a sorcerer might use to lace a drink with a drug?"

When his father didn't follow the line of questioning any further, Arthur went on: "Anyway, I was drugged, and whilst unconscious, I was bound to the chair, rendering me unable to move, and gagged so that I was incapable of shouting for help when I awoke a couple of hours later. Guinevere, in the course of her duties, entered my rooms, and was also apprehended by the sorcerer and bound. He removed the bandages from my eyes, uttered an incantation, my sight was restored and he left, and then after about four hours we were found."

Gaius cast a rather pointed look at Merlin, who was trying to stifle a grin. Uther, however, had a slight look of suspicion on his face, but it was nothing compared to the expression that Merlin noticed on Morgana's face as she stared at Arthur. There was utter bewilderment and disbelief there, but because Merlin knew her so well, he could also see the annoyance and hatred that were not too far beneath the surface. Merlin's attention was suddenly drawn back to the king as he started to speak once more. "Arthur, when you were found, your gag had been taken off. Why didn't you call out for help as soon as he removed it?"

"The condition for it being removed was that I would not cry out. I had given him my word, as had Guinevere."

Uther was clearly irritated by Arthur's response. "Integrity means nothing to a sorcerer! You should have called out for help, and then we could have arrested him."

Arthur's voice was level and firm as he replied: "My word is my word, to whomever I give it. And besides, my lord, the behaviour of the sorcerer during much of this time can only be described as somewhat deranged. My duty to Camelot is to protect its citizens, and I would not have wished to put Guinevere's safety at risk by any action that might have provoked such an unpredictable and unstable individual."

Merlin rolled his eyes slightly at these last comments. Gaius on the other hand was concentrating hard on looking straight ahead.

Uther gave a little shake of his head, more to himself than anyone else, somewhat baffled by what he had been told. "Arthur, I am finding it hard to understand the motivation for such actions. Did he say anything else to you during this time?"

Arthur look steadily at his father: "Nothing worth repeating, sire."

Uther still looked puzzled: "He gave no reason whatsoever for what he was doing?"

"If he had a reason, sire, then he kept it to himself."

Uther sighed, and gave up trying to take his enquiries any further. He stared at the floor for a few moments before speaking again and giving his judgment. "Whilst this court cannot condone the use of magic, it seems that this sorcery was carried out without Arthur's encouragement or consent – "

He cast a sharp look at Arthur, still not entirely sure that he believed what his son had told him.

"- and it also appears as if on this one occasion it has resulted in some good. The court will note, however, that this is an exception and our stance of total opposition to all magic and to all those who perform it has not changed."

He paused before continuing. "But one final matter, Arthur. How is it that your servant, who was meant to be paying even closer attention to your care and your needs at this time, not only managed to allow you to be drugged, bound and gagged, but then also abandoned you in your quarters for a period of around six hours?"

Arthur's brow furrowed slightly - he hadn't actually asked himself that question yet. His stated intention of going for a ride had been forgotten in Gwen's company and he'd been oblivious to the fact that Merlin had never returned. "Er, he had a few errands to run and then had to check on the horses….."

Uther interrupted: "For SIX HOURS?"

Uther's eyes shifted from his son and once more came to rest upon Arthur's manservant – as did those of Arthur and everyone else in the council chambers. Gaius silently prayed that Merlin had thought up some suitable excuse, whilst next to him Merlin shifted uncomfortably.

Uther asked rather pointedly, "Please tell the court precisely where you were whilst all this was going on?"

"I, er, was running errands as the prince has said – " Merlin suddenly realised to his horror that the keeper of the stables was also present and would know that he had not been there. "- although, I er, didn't actually make it to the stables in the end because I was…."

He paused. It had not, as Gaius had hoped and prayed, occurred to Merlin to have any sort of alibi prepared and as he panicked his mind went blank.

Uther's tone became slightly more dangerous: "Go on…."

All that Merlin could do was to say the first thing that came into his head – which wasn't much: "I was, er, doing stuff."

Arthur raised his eyebrows as he looked at Merlin: "Doing….. stuff?"

His servant nodded nervously: "Mmmm – stuff."

Uther continued to fix Merlin with a piercing gaze. "And would you care to inform the court of the precise nature of this….. _'stuff'_."

Merlin hesitated and was clearly floundering, and it was left to his elderly mentor to intervene.

"My lord, if you will allow me to interrupt to explain…."

Uther replied wearily, "Please do."

"The reason, my lord, for Merlin's hesitation is that he did not want to cause trouble for me by informing you that one of the errands that I sent him on was, in fact, to collect rare herbs that were a considerable distance from the citadel. It was, on reflection, unreasonable to send him on such a long mission when he should have been back caring for the prince."

Merlin gave an enthusiastic nod of agreement as Gaius continued, "It is my fault, my lord, and I apologise most sincerely to the prince."

Arthur, who had been standing with his arms folded as he listened to both men's explanations, nodded to him. "Thank you, Gauis. Apology accepted."

Uther let out a long sigh. "Now that we have at least cleared up that little mystery, court dismissed."

The council chambers were immediately filled with animated chatter, but as Arthur turned away from his father to go, there was a look of great relief on his face. He was not the only one to be relieved that the ordeal was over: Merlin and Gaius spoke in low tones to one another as they left together.

"Gaius, thank you SO much!"

"_Doing stuff_… Merlin, couldn't you come up with anything better than that?"

"I panicked and couldn't think of anything to say."

"You know, Merlin, given all that has happened, I really can't decide which is worse: things coming into your head, or things not coming into your head!"

Merlin grinned but then looked somewhat exasperated: "Why is it that Arthur is so much better at lying than I am?"

The old man cast a sideways glance at him as they walked along: "What do you mean?"

Merlin lowered his voice even further: "He deliberately chose to lie and conceal from Uther what I said to him about magic."

Gaius was silent for a moment as he thought about what Merlin had said. "Maybe his own views on magic are changing. Maybe the time is coming soon for you to reveal to Arthur who you truly are."

Merlin blew out a long breath and raised his eyebrows at the thought of this. "Maybe…."

At this point, however, they both heard Arthur calling loudly for Merlin.

The two men stopped and it was Gaius' turn to raise his eyebrows. "You'd better go and see what his lordship wants. I wouldn't keep him waiting this time if I were you!"

Merlin added under his breath with a grin, "Time to go and do some stuff!"

Gaius smiled and left Merlin to it.

"You wanted to see me, sire?"

Arthur gave a little wry smile at Merlin's choice of familiar and now appropriate words. "Er, yes."

Arthur shifted his weight and seemed to be working up to saying something. But before he could say a word, Gwen walked past them both and Merlin watched as their eyes met. He could tell there was some unspoken communication going on between them as Gwen gave the prince a pointed but good-natured look. The slightly resigned look and almost imperceptible nod she received in reply caused Gwen to give a little laugh as she carried on her way. Merlin was intrigued by the obvious discomfort in Arthur's stance, and stood staring at the now fidgeting prince who wouldn't make eye contact with him.

"Merlin….."

"Yes, Arthur?"

"I, er, just wanted to say….. you know…"

Merlin just stared at him. "No….."

"Well, when I was blind, it was er, I mean, what I'm trying to say is…."

Merlin could see that Arthur's attempt at communicating whatever it was he was trying to communicate was not meeting with any success. So Merlin decided to help the prince out in his usual way – with a little light-hearted sarcasm. "What you're trying to say is that you have finally realised that you are utterly indebted to me for my indispensable help during your blindness and that you are eternally grateful to me."

The last thing that Merlin expected to happen was what did actually happen: Arthur stared at the ground, shuffled his feet around slightly, and mumbled "Something like that…" He was just grateful that Merlin had saved him from having to say the words himself.

"Oh" was all that Merlin could say in reply, and both men stood there fidgeting for a moment, wondering what to say next, before the penny dropped. "Gwen put you up to it, didn't she?!" There was a note of triumph in Merlin's voice at having found Arthur out.

"No!" the prince said defensively – and untruthfully.

Merlin grinned with a sense of satisfaction. _Arthur might be good at lying to his father, but he could never lie successfully to him._

"Liar!"

There was a moment when Merlin wondered whether Arthur was going to clout him. But the prince suddenly broke into a grin, put Merlin in a headlock and ruffled his hair enthusiastically before letting him go again. Merlin decided to live dangerously. "What did she do? Threaten not to kiss you again until you'd thanked me?"

"Shut up, Merlin!"

"If I told her you hadn't thanked me yet, you'd be in trouble. What's it worth?"

And the members of the court who were still in the corridors near the council chambers found themselves having to move rapidly out of the path of a servant who was running through the citadel at breakneck speed and the prince who was hot on his heels, and who had a roguish and determined glint in his clear blue eyes.

_**Author's Note**_

_**That's it folks! Hope you enjoyed it – always happy to be reviewed! I guess it went slightly AU at the end, in the sense that it messed slightly with Dragoon's next appearance when Uther was dying, and it DID show Arthur seeing magic being used for good. Hope it hasn't interfered too much with "canon" as I do like to try to make my stories true to the series and "episodes that were missed out"! (with the exception of "The End of the Beginning")**_

_**Lent coming up. Will hopefully resume writing with the next story after Easter!**_


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